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Penniman 

Our  Debt  to  France  and 

What  Lafayette  Did  for 

America 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


OUR  DEBT  TO  FRANCE 


ii 


WHAT  LAFAYETTE  DID 
FOR  AMERICA 


Dedicated  to  the  Fatherless 
Children  of  France 


BY 

JAMES  HOSMER  PENNIMAN,  LITT.  D. 


"Among  all  the  innumerable  expressions  of 
sympathy,  all  the  kindnesses  showered  by  you  on 
France,  none  touches  us  so  deeply  as  what  you  are 
doing  for  the  orphans  of  our  heroic  dead.  Our  chil- 
dren are  our  most  precious  possession,  our  joy  and 
our  hope,  and  there  is  no  surer  way  to  our  hearts 
than  to  help  these  pitiful  victims  of  this  war  for 
the  liberation  of  the  world." 

— Marshal  Joffre. 


COPYRIGHT 

JAMES  H.  PENNIMAN 
1921 


OUR  DEBT  TO  FRANCE 


Washington  weighed  his  words  when  he  wrote 
that  our  obligation  to  France  calls  for   "the  most 
unalterable  gratitude,"  and  Joseph  Choate  said  that 
could  find  no  language  adequate  to  express  what 
^America  owes  to  France.    Though  the  great  actors  in 
^the  drama  of  our  Revolution  sleep  in  the  fields  of 
^silence,  their  deeds  remain  eloquent,  and  it  is  well 
^to  recall  their  words,  which  are  so  modest  when  they 
tell  of  their  own  actions  and  so  generous  and  apprecia- 
tive when  they  describe  those  of  their  allies.     They 
Jmake  it  perfectly  clear  that  France  came  in  our  hour 
J  of  supreme  need  and  exerted  the  determining  influence, 
(£  when  our  armies  and  our  credit  were  all  but  exhausted 

.  by  the  long  struggle. 

^         Early  in  1776  Congress  sent  Silas  Deane,  a  grad- 
^  uate  of  Yale  of  the  class  of  1758,  as  commissioner  to 
France  to  propose  an  offensive  and  defensive  alliance 
o  and  a  treaty  of  commerce.    Vergennes,  the  Minister  of 
t  Foreign  Affairs,  received  Deane  with  cordiality  and 
0  benevolence  and  told  him  to  consider  himself  under 
the  immediate  protection  of  the  King  of  France,  and 
in  case  of  any  insult  or  molestation  to  complain  directly 
to  himself  and  to  depend  on  receiving  the  most  satis- 
factory redress;  that,  though  talk  of  an  alliance  was 
premature,  his  government  would  show  its  good  will 
by    allowing    the    Americans    to    purchase    supplies 
secretly. 


There  was  then  no  factory  in  America  where 
muskets  or  cannon  could  be  made  in  any  quantity,  and 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  obtain  gunpowder.  July 
20th  Deane  had  another  interview  by  appointment  at 
Versailles  with  Vergennes  and  was  promised  40,000 
muskets.  Vergennes  also  proposed  to  have  the  arms 
of  France  erased  from  200  brass  cannon,  if  it  could 
be  done  without  weakening  them,  and  if  not  he  prom- 
ised that  others  should  be  cast  in  the  King's  foundries. 
Vergennes  sent  De  Chaumont,  a  wealthy  man,  to 
Deane  with  priced  samples  of  the  uniforms  worn  in 
the  French  army,  and  De  Chaumont  voluntarily  offered 
to  become  security  to  the  amount  of  1,000,000  francs 
for  the  purchase  of  clothing  for  the  Americans. 

Vergennes's  knowledge  of  European  politics  was 
considered  superior  to  that  of  any  other  man  of  his 
time,  so  that  the  services  which  he  was  able  to  render 
to  America  were  of  inestimable  value.  When  Ver- 
gennes died  in  1788,  Franklin  said  that  it  was  a  great 
loss  to  France,  to  Europe,  to  America  and  to  mankind. 

-   . 

The  decision  to  aid  America  was  largely  due  to 
the  efforts  of  that  extraordinary  Frenchman,  Beau- 
marchais,  well  known  as  the  author  of  the  "Barber 
of  Seville"  and  the  "Marriage  of  Figaro."  Beau- 
marchais  is  comparable  to  Sheridan  in  wit,  stagecraft 
and  in  his  ability  to  satirize  the  follies  of  his  time, 
and  his  polemical  papers  resemble  those  of  Swift. 
Through  his  writings  he  had  become  a  leader  of  public 
opinion.  In  the  "Marriage  of  Figaro"  he  showed  clearly 
the  dangerous  condition  of  France.  He  first  made  plain 
that  the  balance  of  power  in  Europe  was  to  be  found 
in  America.  As  early  as  September,  1775,  Beaumar- 
chais  declared  that  America  was  lost  to  the  mother 
country,  and  early  in  1776  he  urged  the  King  of  France 
to  give  secret  aid  to  the  Americans,  saying,  "If  your 
majesty  has  no  more  skillful  man  to  employ,  I  am 
ready  to  take  the  matter  in  charge  and  will  be  respon- 
sible for  the  treaty  without  compromising  any  one, 
persuaded  that  my  zeal  will  better  supplement  my 

4 


•  lack  of  dexterity  than  the  dexterity  of  another  could 
replace  my  zeal.    The  Americans  are  as  well  placed 
1    as  possible;  army,  fleet,  provisions,  courage,  every- 
thing is  excellent;  but  without  powder  and  engineers 
how  can  they  conquer  or  how  even  can  they  defend 

-  themselves  ?    Are  we  willing  to  let  them  perish  rather 
than  loan  them  one  or  two  millions  ?    Are  we  afraid  of 
losing  the  money  ?" 

With  the  connivance  of  Vergennes,  Beaumarchais 
organized  the  commercial  firm  of  Hortalez  &  Co.  "You 
will  found  your  house,"  he  was  instructed,  "and  at  your 
own  risk  and  perils  you  will  provision  the  Americans 
with  arms  and  munitions  and  objects  of  equipment 
and  whatever  is  necessary  to  support  the  war.  You 
shall  not  demand  money  of  the  Americans,  because 
they  have  none,  but  you  shall  ask  returns  in  com- 
modities of  their  soil,  the  sale  of  which  we  will  facili- 
tate in  our  country."  American  tobacco,  rice  and  wheat 

.  were  then  especially  valuable  in  Europe.  Agents  of  j 
Beaumarchais  met  the  captains  of  American  ships  on  / 
their  arrival  in  France,  aided  them  to  dispose  of  their  *NW 

,   cargoes  and  rendered  any  other  services  in  their  power.    / 
For  instance,  when  five  vessels  arrived  from  America 
with  fish,  a  prohibited  article,   the  French   officials 
informed  Deane  that  if  the  vessels  came  from  Congress 
they  should  be  permitted  to  unload  and  to  sell  their;./ 
cargoes. 

May  2,  1776,  the  French  Government  advanced  to 
Beaumarchais  1,000,000  francs  for  the  purchase  of 
supplies  for  the  Americans,  and  two  months  later  he 
received  another  million  from  Spain,  which  was  paid 
through  the  treasury  of  France.  Within  a  year  Beau- 
marchais had  sent  eight  shiploads  of  military  stores, 
drawn  largely  from  royal  arsenals  and  valued  at  more 
than  6,000,000  francs.  For  a  long  time  he  was  the 
exclusive  agent  of  France,  and  through  him  supplies 

•  were  sent  without  which  Washington's  forces  could 
not  have  existed.     Beaumarchais  obtained  over  200 
cannon,  25,000  muskets,  200,000  pounds  of  powder,  20 

5  -v^A*4 


or  30  brass  mortars  and  clothing  and  tents  for  25,000 
men.  These  he  loaded  on  ships  obtained  by  himself. 
At  one  time  he  ~  fitted  out  ten  merchantmen  and 
equipped  a  man-of-war  to  escort  them.  Silas  Deane 
wrote  Congress,  "I  should  have  never  completed  what 
I  have  but  for  the  generous,  the  indefatigable  and 
spirited  exertions  of  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  to  whom 
the  United  States  are  on  every  account  greatly 
indebted;  more  so  than  to  any  other  person  on  this 
side  of  the  water."  When  Beaumarchais  was  himself 
struggling  with  financial  difficulties,  he  wrote: 
"Through  all  these  annoyances  the  news  from  Amer- 
ica overwhelms  me  with  joy.  Brave,  brave  people, 
their  warlike  conduct  justifies  my  esteem  and  the  noble 
enthusiasm  felt  for  them  in  France." 

Though  Franklin  was  seventy  when  Congress 
unanimously  elected  him  on  the  first  ballot  a  commis- 
sioner to  France,  there  is  no  exaggeration  in  saying 
that  his  services  surpass  those  of  any  other  American 
diplomat  in  any  period  of  our  history.  Afflicted  with 
the  infirmities  of  age,  his  mind  remained  bright,  his 
good  nature  undiminished  and  he  cheerfully  undertook 
the  dangerous  voyage  in  order  to  serve  his  country.  He 
came  on  the  Reprisal,  which  made  the  trip  from  land 
to  land  in  thirty  days.  It  carried  indigo  for  the  account 
of  Congress  worth  £3000.  On  the  way  over  it  cap- 
tured two  British  ships  worth  £4000. 

Franklin  arrived  in  Paris  in  December,  1776.  At 
first  he  took  lodgings  in  the  Rue  de  1'Universitie,  but 
in  a  few  days  he  withdrew  to  Passy,  where  he  lived 
nine  years.  Franklin  described  his  residence  as  "a 
fine  house,  situated  in  a  neat  village  on  high  ground, 
half  a  mile  from  Paris,  with  a  large  garden  to  walk  in." 
The  house  was  the  property  of  De  Chaumont,  who 
wrote  John  Adams  in  September,  1778,  "when  I  con- 
secrated my  house  to  Doctor  Franklin  and  his  asso- 
ciates who  might  live  with  him,  I  made  it  fully  under- 
stood that  I  should  expect  no  compensation,  because  I 
perceived  that  you  had  need  of  all  your  means  to  send 

6 


to  the  succor  of  your  country  or  to  relieve  the  dis- 
tresses of  your  countrymen  escaping  from  the  chains 
of  their  enemies.  I  pray  you,  sir,  to  permit  this 
arrangement  to  remain,  which  I  made  when  the  fate 
of  your  country  was  doubtful.  When  she  shall  enjoy 
all  her  splendor  such  sacrifices  on  my  part  will  be 
superfluous  or  unworthy  of  her;  but  at  present  they 
may  be  useful,  and  I  am  happy  in  offering  them  to 
you."  He  added  that  it  was  a  good  thing  "to  have 
immortalized  my  house  by  receiving  into  it  Doctor 
Franklin  and  his  associates." 

That  a  man  of  such  erudition  and  distinction  as 
Franklin  should  come  from  the  colonies  was  a  paradox 
which  delighted  French  society.  The  wit  of  his  writing 
was  particularly  appreciated;  the  sayings  of  "le  bon- 
homme  Richard"  were  quoted  all  over  France,  and  the 
clergy  advised  the  people  to  take  them  to  heart.  France 
was  filled  with  medals,  busts  and  pictures  of  Franklin, 
so  that  he  wrote  his  daughter  that  the  numbers  sold 
were  incredible  and  "have  made  your  father's  face  as 
well  known  as  the  moon."  Among  the  powdered  heads 
of  Paris  he  wore  his  own  gray  hair,  a  fur  cap  and 
spectacles,  but  the  old  man  in  his  brown  suit  made 
more  impression  than  the  most  glittering  ambassador. 

Long  before  their  government  took  up  our  cause 
most  Frenchmen  individually  sympathized  with  us,  so 
that  in  order  to  preserve  the  semblance  of  neutrality, 
it  was  necessary  to  prohibit  the  discussion  of  the  war 
in  the  cafes  of  Paris.  Republican  literature  was  widely 
read,  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  received 
with  enthusiasm.  John  Adams  wrote  of  the  French  in 
1778:  "There  is  no  people  in  the  world  who  take  so 
much  pains  to  please,  nor  any  whose  endeavors  in  this 
way  have  more  success.  Their  arts  and  manners,  taste 
and  language,  are  more  respected  in  Europe  than  those 
of  any  other  nation."  Buckle  states:  "More  new 
truths  concerning  the  external  world  were  discovered 
in  France  during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  than  during  all  the  previous  periods  put 

7 


together."  People  crowded  to  lectures  on  chemistry 
and  physics  as  if  they  were  plays.  Franklin  was  a 
member  of  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences  and 
attended  its  meetings  regularly,  and  his  experiments 
with  the  kite  were  as  well  known  in  Paris  as  in  - 
Philadelphia. 

Distinguished  as  a  man  of  science,  a  man  of  letters 
and  a  man  of  broad  humanity,  Franklin  was  learned 
above  all  other  men  in  the  philosophy  of  life,  and  he 
had  attained  a  ripe  old  age  without  losing  faith  in  man- 
kind. He  found  his  happiness  in  that  of  his  fellow- 
men.  He  was  equally  at  home  with  common  men  and 
with  scholars  and  princes,  for  he  was  able  to  com- 
prehend every  one's  point  of  view.  No  man  under- 
stood the  present  better  than  he,  and  few  had  a  more 
prophetic  vision  into  the  future.  A  keen  observer,  of 
wisdom,  judgment  and  sagacity,  he  did  his  work  so 
easily  that  it  seemed  easy  work  until  some  one  else  . 
tried  to  do  it.  He  had  snatched  the  lightning  from  the 
clouds,  and  was  now  doing  his  utmost  to  wrest  the 
scepter  of  the  thirteen  colonies  from  the  tyrant. 

Ten  days  after  Franklin's  arrival  he  had  a  secret 
interview  with  Vergennes,  who  was  charmed  by  his 
tact  and  courtesy  and  said  that  his  conduct  was  as 
zealous  and  patriotic  as  it  was  wise  and  circumspect. 
Franklin's  unswerving  loyalty  to  France  in  spite  of 
the  snares  and  temptations  which  were  artfully  laid  for 
him  by  our  enemies  was  equaled  only  by  his  inflexible 
devotion  to  his  native  land.  Before  Franklin  left  for 
France  he  had  loaned  Congress  all  his  available  fortune, 
and  during  the  years  of  his  stay  in  France  the  closest 
scrutiny  failed  to  reveal  a  single  instance  of  his  mis- 
management of  the  public  funds.  Instead  of  sending 
money  to  its  diplomats,  the  United  States  drew  bills  on 
them.  Franklin  was  able  not  only  to  meet  the  drafts 
on  himself,  but  was  also  able  to  help  his  colleagues,  who 
were  accredited  to  other  courts.  He  knew  how  to  bide 
his  time;  it  was  sometimes  months  before  the  Ameri- 
can diplomats  could  hear  from  home.  For  instance, 

8 


Burgoyne  surrendered  the  17th  of  October,  1777,  but  it 
was  not  until  the  4th  of  December  that  the  informa- 
tion reached  Paris,  where  it  caused  as  much  rejoicing 
as  if  it  'had  been  a  French  victory.  Beaumarchais 
drove  with  such  furious  speed  to  carry  the  news  that 
his  carriage  upset,  his  arm  was  cut,  and  the  bones  of 
his  neck  nearly  crushed,  but  he  wrote :  "The  charming 
news  from  America  is  balm  to  my  wounds." 

The  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  added  to  the  fact  that 
the  American  army  made  an  excellent  showing  at  Ger- 
mantown,  so  soon  after  the  defeat  at  the  Brandywine, 
decided  the  French  government  to  espouse  our  cause 
openly.  December  12th  Vergennes  said  of  the  battle  of 
Germantown,  "Nothing  has  struck  me  so  much  as 
General  Washington  attacking  and  giving  battle  to 
General  Howe's  army.  To  bring  troops  raised  within 
the  year  to  do  this  promises  everything." 

December  17th,  as  Washington  was  preparing  to 
go  into  winter  quarters  at  Valley  Forge,  though  the 
prospect  in  America  was  dark,  a  bright  star  of  hope 
arose  for  us  in  France,  for  on  that  day  Gerard,  a  secre- 
tary of  Vergennes,  who  later  became  the  first  minister 
of  France  to  the  United  States,  and  to  whom  our  coun- 
try is  indebted  for  constant  and  efficient  efforts  in  our 
behalf,  officially  informed  Franklin  and  Deane  that 
France  had  determined  not  only  to  acknowledge,  but 
also  to  support  the  independence  of  America.  The 
most  important  treaties  in  American  history  are,  that 
with  France,  signed  February  6,  1778,  and  those  with 
Great  Britain,  which  ended  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
The  treaty  with  France  was  the  first  the  United  States 
made  with  any  nation.  It  stated: 

"The  essential  and  direct  end  of  the  present  de- 
fensive alliance  is  to  maintain  effectually  the  liberty, 
sovereignty,  and  independence  absolute  and  unlimited 
of  the  said  United  States." 

France  and  the  United  States  mutually  engaged 
not  to  lay  down  their  arms  until  this  independence 
should  have  been  assured  by  the  treaty  that  should 

9 


terminate  the  war.  Though  France  could  have  driven 
a  hard  bargain,  her  only  desire  was  the  perpetual  * 
friendship  of  the  United  States,  so  that  Franklin 
wrote  :  "France  has  taken  no  advantage  of  our  present 
difficulties  to  exact  terms  which  we  would  not  willingly 
grant  when  established  in  prosperity  and  power." 

The  French  alliance  was  celebrated  by  Washing-- 
ton's army  at  Valley  Forge,  May  5th.  The  brigades 
assembled  at  9  o'clock,  their  chaplains  made  the  an- 
nouncement, offered  up  a  thanksgiving  and  delivered 
a  suitable  discourse.  At  half-past  ten  a  cannon  gave 
the  signal  to  line  up  for  inspection,  thirteen  guns  were 
fired,  there  was  a  running  salute  of  infantry  through- 
out the  whole  line  and  at  a  given  signal,  the  entire  army 
cheered,  "Long  live  the  King  of  France!" 

An  officer  wrote  :  "Last  Wednesday  was  set  apart 
as  a  day  of  general  rejoicing,  when  we  had  a  feu  de  joie 
conducted  with  the  greatest  order  and  regularity.  The 
army  made  a  most  brilliant  appearance;  after  which 
his  Excellency  dined  in  public,  attended  by  a  band  of 
music.  I  never  was  present  where  there  was  such  un- 
feigned and  perfect  joy  as  was  discovered  in  every  " 
countenance.  The  entertainment  was  concluded  with 
a  number  of  patriotic  toasts,  attended  with  hurrahs. 
When  the  General  took  his  leave  there  was  a  universal 
clap,  with  loud  hurrahs,  which  continued  till  he  had 
proceeded  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  during  which  time  there 
was  a  thousand  hats  tossed  in  the  air.  His  Excellency 
turned  round  with  his  retinue  and  hurrahed  several 
times." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  there  were  two 
opposite  causes  during  the  Revolution  which  made 
Washington  exhibit  violent  emotion;  one  was  cow- 
ardice and  the  failure  of  his  men  to  do  their  duty,  the 
other  was  the  devotion  of  France. 

The  alliance  between  France  and  the  United  States 
was  of  course  a  cause  of  war  between  France  and  Great 
Britain,  and  April  13,  1778,  five  weeks  after  the  signing 
of  the  treaty  of  alliance,  Admiral  D'Estaing  left  Toulon 


for  America  with  twelve  ships  of  the  line  and  four 
frigates.     He  was  delayed  by  adverse  winds  and  did 

'  not  reach  the  Delaware  Capes  till  July  8th.  The  British, 
who  had  spent  the  winter  in  Philadelphia,  had  evacu- 
ated the  city  June  18th,  so  that  D'Estaing  found  that 

•  their  fleet  had  escaped  to  New  York.  He  followed 
them,  but,  though  his  ships  were  superior  to  the 
British  then  in  New  York,  they  drew  too  much  water 
to  cross  the  bar.  He  then  proceeded  to  Newport. 
When  D'Estaing  appeared  in  Narragansett  Bay  the 
British  burned  the  following  frigates  to  prevent  their 
capture  by  the  French:  Juno  32,  Lark  32,  Orpheus 
32,  Cerberus  32,  Kingfisher  16 ;  and  the  Flora  32  and 
Falcon  18  were  sunk.  ,4dm!?lU_Howe»  having  been 
reinforced,  left  New  York  August~6tK  with  eight  ships 
of  the  line,  five  50s,  two  44s  and  a  number  of  smaller 
vessels.  D'Estaing  sailed  out  to  battle  with  him,  but 
a  violent  storm  separated  the  two  fleets.  The  French 

r  were  obliged  to  go  to  Boston  for  repairs,  and  the  Amer- 
ican troops,  deprived  of  the  protection  of  the  French 
fleet,  had  to  abandon  Rhode  Island. 

During  the  Revolution  Washington  had  important 
victories  snatched  from  him  by  combinations  of  cir- 
cumstances which  he  could  not  anticipate  or  control, 
so  that  the  following  sympathetic  letter  which  he  wrote 
D'Estaing  September  11,  1778,  might  have  been  writ- 
ten after  Germantown  or  Monmouth  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  instead  of  by  him : 

"If  the  deepest  regret  that  the  best  concerted  en- 
terprise and  bravest  exertions  should  have  been  ren- 
dered fruitless  by  a  disaster  which  human  prudence  is 
incapable  of  foreseeing  or  preventing  can  alleviate  dis- 
appointment, you  may  be  assured  that  the  whole  conti- 
nent sympathizes  with  you.  It  will  be  a  consolation  to 
you  to  reflect  that  the  thinking  part  of  mankind  do  not 
form  their  judgment  from  events  and  that  their  equity 
will  ever  attach  equal  glory  to  those  actions  which  de- 
serve success  as  to  those  which  have  been  crowned 
with  it.  It  is  in  the  trying  circumstances  to  which 

ll 


your  excellency  has  been  exposed  that  the  virtues  of  a 
great  mind  are  displayed  in  their  brightest  lustre  and 
that  the  general's  character  is  better  known  than  in  the 
moment  of  victory.  It  was  yours  by  every  title  which 
can  give  it,  and  the  adverse  element  which  robbed  you 
of  your  prize  can  never  deprive  you  of  the  glory  due  to  * 
you.  Though  your  success  has  not  been  equal  to  your 
expectations,  yet  you  have  the  satisfaction  of  reflect- 
ing that  you  have  rendered  essential  services  to  the 
common  cause." 

D'Estaing  proceeded  to  the  West  Indies,  where 
his  operations  kept  busy  forces  which  otherwise  would 
have  been  employed  against  the  United  States,  and 
the  British  were  obliged  also  to  send  there  5000  men 
from  New  York.  Lafayette  wrote  Washington  that 
the  news  of  the  fleet  of  D'Estaing  "occasioned  the 
evacuation  of  Philadelphia.  Its  arrival  has  opened  all 
the  harbors,  secured  all  the  coasts,  obliged  the  British 
navy  to  be  together." 

D'Estaing  brought  with  him  our  friend  Gerard, 
who  was  the  first  minister  of  any  foreign  power  to 
the  United  States.  France  sent  him  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  a  great  nation,  for  he  embarked  on  the 
Languedoc,  D'Estaing's  flagship.  Few  of  those  who 
see  in  Philadelphia  the  portrait  of  Gerard,  the  first 
of  the  long  line  of  distinguished  diplomats  who  have 
represented  France  in  the  United  States,  know  that 
before  he  went  home  Congress  requested  that  his 
portrait  be  hung  in  its  halls,  so  that  we  might  keep 
reminded  of  his  services  to  our  country.  La  Luzerne 
succeeded  Gerard  in  the  fall  of  1779  and  represented 
France  with  ability  and  courtesy  for  five  critical  years. 
With  Gerard  came  Silas  Deane,  who,  though  he  had 
made  enemies,  had  served  our  country  so  faithfully  in 
France  that  Franklin  wrote  the  President  of  Congress : 
"Having  lived  intimately  with  him  now  fifteen  months, 
the  greatest  part  of  the  time  in  the  same  house,  and 
been  a  constant  witness  of  his  public  conduct,  I  cannot 
omit  giving  this  testimony,  though  unasked,  in  his 

12 


behalf,  that  I  esteem  him  a  faithful,  active  and  able 
minister,  who,  to  my  knowledge,  has  done  in  various 

'  ways  great  and  important  services  to  his  country." 

September  1,  1779,  D'Estaing  came  a  second  time, 
arriving  on  the  coast  of  Georgia  with  twenty-two 

'  ships  of  the  line  and  eleven  frigates.  In  October  an 
allied  force  of  about  fifiOfl,  t.wQ-t|nrfjs^  of  which  were 

"French,  attacked  Savannah  with  great  gallantry.  The 
city  was  invested  and  its  fortifications  were  bom- 
barded by  the  French  fleet.  October  9th  an  assault  was 
made,  the  outworks  were  carried  and  the  French  and 
American  flags  placed  on  the  ramparts,  but  the  allies 
were  finally  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  about  1000,  among 
them  the  gallant  Pulaski.  D'Estaing  was  severely 
wounded  twice.  Fifteen  French  officers  and  168  men 
were  killed,  43  officers  and  411  men  wounded.  Though 
D'Estaing  had  been  prevented  from  doing  all  that  he 
wished,  he  had  done  his  best  with  the  utmost  bravery, 

.  and  there  was  great  harmony  between  the  allies. 
D'Estaing  said,  "My  duty  before  all  else  was  to  prove 
to  the  new  allies  of  his  majesty  that  we  were  ready  to 
sacrifice  everything  in  order  to  keep  a  promise  that  we 
had  once  made." 

On  his  return  to  France  he  rendered  great  service 
to  America  by  urging  his  government  to  increase  its 
efforts  in  our  behalf.  Of  D'Estaing  Lafayette  wrote: 
"He  is  a  man  whose  genius  and  talents  and  great 
qualities  of  heart  and  mind  I  admire  as  much  as  I 
love  his  virtues,  his  patriotism  and  his  amiability.  He 
has  suffered  every  possible  reverse  and  he  has  not 
been  able  to  accomplish  what  he  hoped  for;  but  he  is, 
to  my  mind,  a  man  made  to  be  intrusted  with  the  inter- 
ests of  a  nation  like  ours." 

Rochambeau  was  a  representative  soldier  of 
France,  that  nation  of  great  soldiers.  One  of  the 
most  experienced  officers  in  the  French  army,  his  name 
attracted  distinguished  men  to  serve  under  him.  Like 
Washington,  Rochambeau  was  personally  brave  to  the 
point  of  rashness,  grave,  reticent,  a  strict  disci- 

13 


plinarian,  but  beloved  by  his  men.  Like  Washington, 
Rochambeau  had  been  made  a  colonel  at  twenty-two. 
He  had  won  successive  promotions  by  his  brilliant 
deeds  on  the  field  of  battle.  In  1780  he  had  seen  thirty- 
eight  years  of  service  and  had  attained  the  rank  of 
lieutenant  general.  He  was  proud  of  saying  that  of  the 
15,000  soldiers  who  had  fallen  gloriously  under  his 
command  he  could  not  reproach  himself  for  the  death 
of  any  one.  Before  R^ha^gbey  departed  for  America 
'  the  French  government  had 


for  the  expedition.  May  2,  1782,  Admiral  de  Ternay 
,  sailed  with  six  ships  of  the  line  and  five  frigates, 
thirty-two  transports  and  a  hospital  ship.  In  order 
to  carry  more  men  Rochambeau  was  even  obliged  to 
leave  his  beloved  warhorses.  He  was  able  to  take 
with  him  only  5500  soldiers.  Those  who  were  left 
behind  were  bitterly  disappointed.  Rochambeau  com- 
manded the  elite  of  the  French  army,  composed  of 
the  ancient  and  distinguished  regiments,  Bourbonnais, 
Soissonnais,  Saintong  and  Royal  Deux-Ponts.  The 
Bourbonnais  regiment  was  the  seventh  in  age  in  the 
French  infantry,  having  been  organized  in  1595.  Two 
regiments  came  from  places  notable  in  the  recent  world 
war,  the  Soissonnais  and  the  Royal  Deux-Ponts,  the 
latter  having  been  recruited  in  Alsace.  The  Due  de 
Lauzun,  an  author  and  one  of  the  most  elegant  men 
of  France,  commanded  a  Legion  of  Foreign  Volun- 
teers, consisting  of  800  infantry  and  400  cavalry,  part 
of  whom  had  to  be  left  in  France  for  lack  of  trans- 
ports. The  French  officers  were  noted  for  military 
experience  and  nearly  all  were  noblemen.  To 
enumerate  them  and  to  tell  of  their  deeds  and  of  their 
descent  would  be  to  rewrite  the  history  of  France. 
I  can  name  merely  a  few.  Next  to  Rochambeau  in 
rank  were  the  brothers  Viomenil,  both  of  whom  were 
major  generals,  as  was  also  Chevalier  de  Chastellux, 
whose  literary  work  afterward  won  him  a  place  in 
the  French  Academy.  Berthier's  extraordinary  ability 
in  arranging  and  carrying  out  military  details  made 

14 


him  later  Napoleon's  chief  of  staff,  and  Napoleon 
„  created  him  Prince  of  Wagram ;  Dumas  became  a  gen- 
eral under  Napoleon;  Montesquieu  was  the  grandson 
of  the  author  of  "L'Esprit  des  Lois" ;  Count  de  Vauban 
was  a  grandson  of  the  great  military  engineer,  and 
'  Count  de  Segur  wrote  memoirs  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution and  of  Napoleon.  The  colonel  of  the  Bour- 
bonnais  was  the  Marquis  de  Laval-Montmorency,  and 
Rochambeau's  son,  the  Vicomte  de  Rochambeau,  was 
lieutenant  colonel. 

Lafayette  wrote  Washington  November  13,  1780: 
"The  Marquis  de  Laval  Montmorency,  of  one  of  the 
most  illustrious  families  in  France,  is  on  his  way  to 
the  camp.  The  Chevalier  de  Chastellux,  a  relation 
and  friend  of  mine,  major  general  in  the  French  army, 
is  also  coming.  I  every  day  expect  my  brother-in- 
law  and  his  friend,  Count  de  Charlus,  only  son  to  the 
,  Marquis  de  Castries,  who  enjoys  a  great  consideration 
in  France  and  has  won  the  battle  of  Closter  Camp.  The 
Duke  of  Lauzun  has  also  written  to  me  that  he  would 
come  soon.  These  five  gentlemen  may  by  their  emi- 
nence at  home  be  considered  as  the  first  people  in 
the  French  army."  The  colonel  of  the  Soissannais  was 
the  Count  de  Saint-Maime,  and  Lafayette's  brother- 
in-law,  Vicomte  de  Noailles,  was  lieutenant  colonel. 
He  distinguished  himself  by  walking  the  entire  dis- 
tance from  Newport  to  Yorktown,  756  miles.  Comte  de 
Custine  commanded  the  Saintonge.  The  brothers 
Deux-Ponts  commanded  the  Royal  Deux-Ponts. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  our  relations 
with  France  more  impressive  than  the  fact  that 
Rochambeau's  orders  were  that  the  French  army 
should  be  under  the  command  of  Washington,  "to 
whom  the  honors  of  a  marshal  of  France  will  be 
rendered."  No  one  in  Rochambeau's  army  had  such 
a  rank.  It  was  also  ordered  that  "in  case  of  an  equality 
of  rank  and  of  duration  of  service,  the  American  officer 
\will  take  command." 

15 


In  spite  of  the  British  navy,  Admiral  Ternay 
brought  Rochambeau's  force  safely  over,  and  they 
reached  Newport  July  10th,  after  a  voyage  of  seventy 
days.  July  12th  Rochambeau  wrote  Washington:  "I 
am  arrived  full  of  submission  and  zeal  and  of  venera- 
tion for  yourself  and  for  the  talents  you  have  shown  in 
sustaining  a  war  that  will  be  forever  memorable." 
Rochambeau  wrote  the  President  of  Congress:  "We 
are  your  brothers  and  we  shall  act  as  such  with  you. 
We  will  fight  your  enemies  by  your  side  as  if  we  were 
one  and  the  same  nation." 

Questions  of  etiquette  and  precedence  were  easily 
settled  by  two  such  unselfish  men  as  Washington  and 
Rochambeau,  and  the  only  contest  between  the  French 
and  Americans  was  as  to  who  should  first  storm  the 
redoubts  at  Yorktown.  Rochambeau  states  that  dur- 
ig  his  entire  stay  in  America  there  was  not  a  blow 
[or  a  quarrel  between  any  French  and  American  sol- 
lier.  The  gay  French  officers  submitted  with  perfect 
propriety  to  the  simple  life  of  the  Americans.  The 
companions  of  Lauzun  are  described  as  being  tall, 
vivacious  men  with  handsome  faces  and  noble  air. 
They  were  splendidly  mounted  and  equipped.  When 
Governor  Trumbull  at  table,  where  twenty  of  them 
were  seated,  offered  a  long  prayer,  they  attended  with 
courtesy,  and  all  joined  in  with  the  amen. 

In  1781,  at  Newport,  the  French  celebrated  Wash- 
ington's birthday  by  a  parade,  a  salute  and  by  a  gen- 
eral holiday.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  public 
recognition  of  the  day.  French  soldiers  rendered 
themselves  agreeable  not  only  because  of  the  polite- 
ness which  characterizes  their  nation,  but  also  because 
of  the  genuine  interest  which  they  felt  in  the  Ameri- 
can cause.  Trees  with  apples  growing  on  them  over- 
hung tents  which  the  French  had  occupied  for  three 
months.  The  perfectly  equipped  army  of  France  was 
proud  to  be  allied  with  the  ragged  forces  of  Wash- 
ington. The  uniforms  of  the  French  army  were  the 
handsomest  ever  seen  in  America.  The  Deux-Ponts 

16 


wore  white ;  the  Saintong  white  faced  with  green ;  the 
„  Soissonnais  white  with  rose  facings  and  grenadier 
hats  with  white  and  rose  plumes;  the  Bourbonnais 
black  and  red,  and  the  artillery  blue  trimmed  with  red. 
The  more  ragged  the  American  soldiers  the  warmer 
the  sympathy  of  the  French.  Baron  de  Closen  wrote: 
"These  brave  men  were  painful  to  see ;  almost  naked, 
nothing  but  pantaloons  and  slight  jacket  of  linen  or 
cotton,  the  greater  number  without  stockings;  but — 
could  it  be  believed? — in  the  best  good  humor  in  the 
world  and  all  hearty  in  form  and  face.  I  am  alto- 
gether in  admiration  of  these  American  troops.  It  is 
incredible  that  troops  composed  of  men  of  all  ages, 
even  lads  of  15,  of  black  and  white,  all  half  naked,  can 
march  so  well  and  stand  fire  with  such  firmness."  The 
Abbe  Robin  thus  describes  the  Americans: 

"The  American  troops  have  as  yet  no  regular  uni- 
form. The  officers  and  artillery  corps  alone  are  uni- 
formed. Several  regiments  have  small  white  fringed 
casaques,  the  effect  of  which  is  sightly  enough;  their 
wide,  long,  linen  pantaloons  neither  incommode  them 
nor  interfere  with  the  play  of  their  limbs  on  the  march, 
yet  with  a  nourishment  much  less  substantial  than  our 
own  and  a  temperament  much  less  vigorous,  for  this 
reason  alone,  perhaps,  they  support  fatigue  much  bet- 
ter than  our  troops. 

"These  American  garments,  altho  easily  soiled,  are 
nevertheless  kept  extremely  clean.  Their  neatness  is 
particularly  observable  among  the  officers.  To  see 
them  you  would  suppose  that  they  had  a  large  amount 
of  baggage,  but  I  was  surprised  to  find  in  their  tents, 
which  accommodate  three  or  four  persons,  not  as  much 
as  forty  pounds'  weight.  Hardly  any  have  mattresses, 
a  single  covering  stretched  on  the  knotty  bark  of  trees 
serving  them  for  bed." 

A  French  officer  wrote : 

"The  Americans  gain  more  on  my  esteem  as  they 
are  more  known.  I  have  met  with  the  greatest  integ- 
rity, civility  and  hospitality  among  them.  Their  mili- 

17 


tia  have  joined  us.  They  are  not  clothed  in  any  uni- 
form and  are  in  great  want  of  shoes  and  even  of  the 
most  common  conveniences,  which,  if  a  European  army 
was  deficient  in,  a  general  desertion  would  follow.  But 
the  American  troops  are  furnished  with  good  arms, 
possess  an  incredible  store  of  patience  and  preserve  the 
most  perfect  sobriety.  There  are  no  more  hardy  sol- 
diers, and  the  last  four  years  have  given  incontestible 
proof  of  their  valour." 

Washington  wrote  Lafayette:  "A  decisive  naval 
superiority  is  to  be  considered  as  a  fundamental  prin- 
ciple." For  lack  of  this  naval  superiority  the  French 
army  was  forced  to  remain  idle  at  Newport  for  eleven 
months.  But  though  inactive,  the  French  were  far  from 
/  useless,  for  Washington  was  ready  to  attack  New  York 
|  in  case  Clinton  made  a  demonstration  against  Rocham- 
i  beau  at  Newport,  and  the  concentration  of  the  British 
ships  at  Gardener's  Bay,  in  order  to  watch  the  French 
army  and  navy  at  Newport,  made  it  easy  for  the 
American  privateers  to  take  prizes,  and  gave  freedom 
to  American  commerce.  When  it  became  certain  that  a 
powerful  French  fleet  was  about  to  co-operate  with  the 
land  forces,  the  French  army  removed  from  Newport 
and  joined  Washington  near  New  York,  and  the  com- 
bined armies  spent  July  and  the  first  half  of  August 
a  short  distance  north  of  the  British  lines.  At  Phillips- 
burg,  twelve  miles  from  Kingsbridge,  July  6,  1781, 
Washington's  orderly  book  states:  "The  commander- 
in-chief  with  pleasure  embraces  the  earliest  possible 
opportunity  of  expressing  his  thanks  to  his  Excellency, 
the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  for  the  unremitting  zeal 
with  which  he  has  prosecuted  his  march,  in  order  to 
form  the  long-wished-for  junction  between  the  French 
and  American  forces,  an  event  which  must  afford  the 
highest  degree  of  pleasure  to  every  friend  of  his 
country,  and  from  which  the  happiest  consequences  are 
to  be  expected." 

In  congratulating  his  army  on  the  arrival  of  Roch- 
ambeau, Washington  says  in  his  orderly  book:  "The 

18 


generosity  of  this  succour,  and  the  manner  in  which  it 
is  given,  is  a  new  tie  between  France  and  America. 
The  lively  concern  which  our  allies  manifest  for  our 
safety  and  independence,  has  a  claim  to  the  affection 
of  every  virtuous  citizen.  The  general  with  confidence 
assures  the  army  that  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
French  forces  come  to  our  aid,  animated  with  a  zeal 
founded  in  sentiment  for  us,  as  well  as  in  duty  to  their 
prince,  and  that  they  will  do  everything  in  their  power 
to  promote  harmony  and  cultivate  friendship.  He  is 
equally  persuaded  that  on  our  part  we  shall  vie  with 
them  in  their  good  dispositions,  to  which  we  are 
excited  by  gratitude  as  well  as  by  the  common 
interest." 

While  reconnoitering  around  New  York,  Washing- 
ton commanded  the  admiration  of  the  French  by  his 
perfect  horsemanship  and  his  coolness  under  fire. 
When  the  tide  rose  at  Throg's  Neck,  they  were  obliged 
to  swim  their  horses,  as  Washington  so  frequently  had 
to  do  in  his  younger  days,  but  this  was  quite  new  to 
Rochambeau.  The  officers  were  in  the  saddle  for 
forty-eight  hours  and  Count  de  Dumas  had  a  horse 
shot  under  him. 

Ambassador  Jusserand,  to  whose  learned  studies 
we  are  greatly  indebted,  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that 
his  predecessor,  La  Luzerne,  was  the  first  to  recognize 
the  necessity  of  immediate  action  in  the  Chesapeake. 
As  early  as  April  20th,  Luzerne  had  written :  "It  is  in 
Chesapeake  Bay  that  it  seems  urgent  to  convey  all  the 
naval  forces  of  the  king,  with  such  land  forces  as  the 
generals  will  consider  appropriate." 

August  14, 1781,  Washington  states  in  his  diary  that 
he  received  dispatches  from  Count  de  Barras,  announc- 
ing the  intended  departure  of  the  Count  de  Grasse  from 
Cape  Francois  with  between  twenty-five  and  twenty- 
nine  sail  of  the  line  and  3200  land  troops  on  the  3d 
instant  for  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the  anxiety  of  the 
latter  to  have  everything  in  the  most  perfect  readiness 
to  commence  our  operations  in  the  moment  of  his 

19 


arrival,  as  he  should  be  under  a  necessity  from  particu- 
lar engagements  with  the  Spaniards  to  be  in  the  West 
Indies  by  the  middle  of  October.  "Matters  having  now 
come  to  a  crisis,  I  was  obliged,  from  the  shortness  of 
Count  de  Grasse's  promised  stay  on  this  coast,  to  give 
up  all  idea  of  attacking  New  York ;  and  instead  thereof 
to  remove  the  French  troops  and  a  detachment  from 
the  American  army  to  the  Head  of  Elk,  to  be  trans- 
ported to  Virginia."  August  16th  Washington  received 
word  from  Lafayette  that  Cornwallis  had  reached 
Yorktown  on  the  6th  and  was  throwing  up  works. 
Washington  took  south  2000  Continentals  and  4000 
French.  Washington  and  Rochambeau  alone  knew  the 
destination.  Every  one  else,  the  British  included, 
thought  that  the  allies  would  attack  New  York  city  by 
way  of  Staten  Island.  In  order  to  enable  the  American 
army  to  march  to  Yorktown,  Robert  Morris  borrowed 
$30,000,  $20,000  of  which  was  loaned  by  Rochambeau 
from  his  military  chest.  Morris  promised  to  return 
this  by  October  1st,  and  was  enabled  to  do  so  by  the 
arrival  from  France  of  Colonel  Laurens  with  a  part  of 
a^dojiation^afjS.OOO.OOO  francs  given  by  the  French 
government. 

August  19th  the  united  armies  commenced  their 
march  to  the  south.  On  passing  through  Philadelphia 
the  French  army  paid  Congress  the  honors  which  had 
been  ordered  and  the  thirteen  representatives  of  Con- 
gress took  off  their  thirteen  hats  at  each  salute.  At 
Chester,  September  5th,  Washington  received  informa- 
tion that  De  Grasse  had  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake 
August  30th.  This  good  news  caused  the  commander- 
in-chief  to  give  way  to  his  feelings,  as  he  had  done  at 
Valley  Forge  in  celebrating  the  French  alliance.  Eye- 
witnesses relate  that  Washington  stood  on  the  bank  of 
the  Delaware  waving  his  hat  as  Rochambeau  ap- 
proached. Lazun  said  that  he  had  never  seen  a  man 
more  carried  away  with  joy,  and  Deux-Ponts  wrote 
that  Washington's  face  beamed  with  delight,  and  a 

20 


child  whose  every  wish  had  been  gratified  could  not 
have  expressed  keener  pleasure. 

J^Gra^Sfi  was  in  command  of  twenty-eight  ships 
the  line  with  six  frigates,  1700  guns  and  20,000 
men.  The  British  had  to  meet  this  force  nineteen  ships 
of  the  line  with  1400  guns  and  13,000  men.  Thanks  to 
France,  Washington  now  held  the  strings  which  con- 
trolled the  destiny  of  America.  De  Grasse  brought 
from  San  Domingo  3200  French  troops  under  the  Mar- 
quis de  Saint  Simon.  These  were  landed  at  once,  and 
Saint  Simon,  although  a  field  marshal,  was  glad  to 
serve  under  Lafayette,  who  wrote,  "The  general  and 
all  the  officers  have  cheerfully  lived  in  the  same  way  as 
our  poorly  provided  American  detachment."  A  cor- 
respondent said  of  the  French  force :  "You  have  seen 
the  British  troops  and  the  troops  of  other  nations,  but 
you  have  not  seen  troops  so  universally  well  made,  so 
robust  or  of  such  an  appearance."  The  regiments 
brought  by  Saint  Simon  were  the  Gatinais,  Agenais 
and  Touraine.  Both  Rochambeau  and  De  Grasse  ex- 
ceeded their  orders  in  their  desire  to  aid  our  country, 
rasge  Jiraught  e,vp,ry  pggsiblft  jfojp,  so  that  the 
'rench  fleet  at  Yorktown  was  the  most  powerful  which 
p  to  that  time  had  ever  been  fitted  out  by  France, 
he  flagship,  the  Ville  de  Paris,  of  three  decks  and  104 
jgjLins,  was  considered  the  finest  afloat.  De  Grasse  also 
brought^  4^000,000  francs  f oj^Waj&mJg&on!s  ..army. 
Five  days^rfter-tlic  arrivaT^of~De^  Grasse,  nineteen 
British  men-of-war,  under  Admiral  Graves,  appeared 
off  the  bay.  They  had  been  sent  by  Clinton  to  intercept 
De  Barras,  who  had  sailed  from  Newport  August  28th 
I  with  eight  ships  of  the  line  and  fourteen  transports, 
|  bringing  Rochambeau's  stores  and  siege  guns.  De 
Barras  was  the  senior  of  De  Grasse,  but  he  waived  his 
rank  and  risked  his  small  fleet  to  make  the  voyage  to 
the  Chesapeake,  and  this  is  merely  an  example  of  the, 
way  in  which  the  French  in  all  departments  of  the 
service  sacrificed  their  own  individual  interests  to  aid 
the  American  cause.  Graves  found  De  Grasse  anchored 

21 


within  the  capes,  and  the  French  admiral  at  once  put 
to  sea  in  order  to  decoy  the  British  away  from  the  bay, 
so  that  the  way  might  be  clear  for  De  Barras  to  slip  in. 
An  irregular  fight  followed,  which  lasted  for  five  days, 
when  De  Grasse  returned  to  the  bay  and  found  De 
Barras  safely  anchored  within  the  capes.    In  this  en- 
gagement the  French  lost  220  men  killed  and  wounded, 
nd  the  British  336,  and  one  of  their  men-of-war,  a 
eventy-four,  had  to  be  abandoned  and  burned.  Graves, 
aving  failed  utterly,  returned  to  New  York.     The 
eets  of  De  Grasse  and  De  Barras  and  the  armies  of 
lochambeau  and  Washington  had  moved  like  clock- 
ork ;  no  storms  marred  their  progress,  no  foe  impeded 
icir  advance.    The  smoothness  with  which  the  forces 
f  France  and  America  worked  together  had  not  been 
qualed  in  the  military  history  of  the  world,  until  we 
ome  to  operations  of  the  allies  in  France  in  the  World 
Yar. 

From  September  9th  to  llth  Washington  was  at 
Mount  Vernon  for  the  first  time  since  the  war  began. 
Here  he  entertained  Rochambeau  and  other  distin- 
guished French  officers.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  these 
Frenchmen  were  the  most  welcome  visitors  who  ever 
have  been  or  who  ever  will  be  received  at  that  shrine 
of  humanity.  September  18th,  Washington,  Rocham- 
beau, Knox  and  Du  Portail  visited  De  Grasse  on  his 
flagship.  At  their  departure  De  Grasse  manned  the 
yards  of  the  whole  fleet  and  fired  salutes.  September 
28th  Washington  and  his  staff  slept  in  an  open  field 
two  miles  from  Yorktown  without  any  other  shelter 
than  the  canopy  of  heaven.  Washington  states  in 
his  diary:  "September  20th  the  enemy  abandoned 
all  their  exterior  works  and  the  position  they  had  taken 
without  the  town  and  retired  within  their  interior 
works  of  defense  in  the  course  of  last  night,  imme- 
diately upon  which  we  possssed  them  and  made  those 
on  our  left  (with  a  little  alteration)  very  serviceable 
to  us.  We  also  began  two  inclosed  works  on  the  right 

22 


of  Pidgeon  Hill,  between  that  and  the  ravine  above 
More's  Hill." 

October  6th.  "Before  morning  the  trenches  were 
in  such  forwardness,  as  to  cover  the  men  from  the 
enemy's  fire.  The  work  was  executed  with  so  much 
secrecy  and  dispatch  that  the  enemy  were,  I  believe, 
totally  ignorant  of  our  labor  till  the  light  of  the  morn- 
ing discovered  it  to  them." 

October  9th  Washington  himself  fired  the  first  gun. 
Not  less  than  100  pieces  of  heavy  ordnance  were  in 
continual  operation,  and  the  whole  peninsula  trembled. 
The  French  had  brass  cannon  of  from  four  to  forty- 
eight  pounds  in  abundance.  Then,  as  now,  French 
artillery  was  considered  the  best  in  Europe,  but  a  few 
days  later  when  the  British  officers  complimented  the 
French  upon  the  efficiency  of  their  gunnery,  the  French 
said  that  equal  praise  was  due  to  the  American  fire. 
Washington  records :  "October  9 — about  3  o'clock  P.  M. 
the  French  opened  a  battery  on  our  extreme  left  of 
four  sixteen-pounders  and  six  mortars  and  howitzers 
— and  at  5  o'clock  an  American  battery  of  six  18's  and 
24's,  four  mortars  and  two  howitzers  began  to  play 
from  the  extremity  of  our  right.  October  10,  the 
French  opened  two  batteries  on  the  left  of  our  front 
parallel — and  the  Americans  two  batteries  between 
those  last  mentioned  and  the  one  on  our  extreme  right. 
October  11 — The  French  opened  two  other  batteries  on 
the  left  of  the  parallel."  On  this  day  red-hot  shots 
were  fired,  and  the  Charon  and  two  transports  were  set 
on  fire. 

Washington  wrote  Congress,  October  12th — "I 
cannot  but  acknowledge  the  infinite  obligations  I  am 
under  to  his  excellency,  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  the 
pHarquis  de  Saint  Simon,  commanding  the  troops  from 
r|he  West  Indies,  the  other  general  officers,  and  indeed, 
jjfche  officers  of  every  denomination  in  the  French  army, 
ttor  the  assistance  which  they  afford  me.  The  experi- 
ence of  many  of  those  gentlemen  in  the  business  before 
us  is  of  the  utmost  advantage  in  the  present  operation. 

23 


The  greatest  harmony  prevails  between  the  two  armies. 
They  seem  actuated  by  one  spirit,  that  of  supporting 
the  honor  of  the  allied  armies." 

The  night  of  October  14th  the  bursting  of  six  con- 
secutive shells  from  the  French  batteries  was  the  signal 
for  an  assault  on  the  British  works.  Baron  de  Vio- 
menil  commanded  the  entire  operation.  The  Americans 
under  Lafayette  stormed  the  left  battery;  the  French 
Grenadiers  led  by  Viomenil,  the  right  redoubt.  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Gimat's  battalion  led  the  Americans, 
and  Colonel  Armand  marched  as  a  volunteer.  Baron 
Viomenil,  Marquis  de  Rostaing  and  Count  de  Deux- 
Ponts  led  the  French,  sword  in  hand.  Colonel  Deux- 
Ponts  first  mounted  the  ramparts  and  reached  out  his 
hand  to  assist  a  grenadier  to  follow,  the  man  fell  dead 
and  the  Colonel  coolly  extended  his  hand  to  a  second. 
The  allies  lost  about  500  men.  In  one  charge  the 
French  grenadiers  lost  one-third  of  the  men  engaged. 

Rochambeau  says:  "We  must  render  to  the 
Americans  the  justice  to  say  that  they  comported 
themselves  with  a  zeal,  a  courage  and  an  emulation 
which  never  left  them  behind  in  any  duty  with  which 
they  were  charged,  although  they  were  strangers  to 
the  operations  of  a  siege."  Washington  wrote  the 
President  of  Congress :  "Nothing  could  equal  this  zeal 
of  our  allies  but  the  emulating  spirit  of  the  Ameri- 
can officers,  whose  ardor  would  not  suffer  their  exer- 
tions to  be  exceeded."  Washington's  diary  says: 
'October  16 — About  4  o'clock  this  afternoon  the 
Drench  opened  two  batteries  of  two  24s  and  four  16s 
ach.  Three  pieces  from  the  American  grand  battery 
ivere  also  opened,  the  others  not  being  ready.  October 
.7 — The  French  opened  another  battery  of  four  24s 
and  two  16s,  and  a  mortar  battery  of  ten  mortars  and 
wo  howitzers,  the  American  grand  battery  consisting 
of  twelve  24s  and  eighteen  16s,  four  mortars  and  two 
lowitzers." 

When  early  in  the  morning  of  the  17th  the  Amer- 
ican grand  battery  opened  fire  with  great  rapidity, 

24 


Knox,  fearing  that  the  ammunition  would  give  out, 
send  word  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Stevens  to  husband 
his  resources,  but  he  replied  that  there  was  no  need 
to  fear,  as  our  friends,  the  French,  would  make  up 
all  deficiencies  from  their  ample  supply.  To  one  who 
is  familiar  with  the  way  in  which  Washington's  opera- 
tions were  hampered  thruout  the  war  by  lack  of 
ammunition,  this  incident  epitomizes  our  debt  to 
France.  A  few  hours  more  of  the  fire  of  the  French 
and  American  batteries  would  have  annihilated  the 
British  force.  October  19th  the  entire  British  force, 
naval  and  military,  "surrendered  themselves  prisoners 
of  war  to  the  combined  forces  of  America  and  France." 
The  French  army,  drawn  up  in  their  brilliant  uni- 
forms, extended  for  more  than  a  mile.  Opposite  them 
were  the  Americans.  The  uniforms  of  those  who  had 
had  them  were  worn  and  tattered,  but  over  them  flew 
the  Star-Spangled  Banner,  which  that  day  took  its 
real  place  among  the  flags  of  the  independent  nations 
of  the  earth.  Between  the  allied  lines  marched  the 
British  army  in  new  red  coats,  their  colors  cased  and 
their  band  playing  "The  World's  Turned  Upside 
Down."  The  British  general  who  represented  Corn- 
wallis  offered  his  sword  to  Rochambeau,  who  said,  "I 
pointed  opposite  to  General  Washington  at  the  head 
of  the  American  army,  and  I  said  that  the  French 
army,  being  auxiliary  upon  that  continent,  it  was  to 
the  American  general  he  must  look  for  his  orders." 

Nothing  in  the  war  was  received  with  such  joy 
by  the  American  people  as  the  victory  at  Yorktown. 
The  news  was  followed  throughout  the  country  by 
triumphant  bonfires,  illuminations,  parades,  orations 
and  sermons.  In  Philadelphia  the  Continental  Con- 
gress went  in  a  body  to  church  to  a  thanksgiving 
service.  The  victory  was  complete  and  final.  The 
independence  of  the  United  .States,  which  had  been 
declared  at  Philadelphia,  July  4,  1776,  was  achieved  at 
Yorktown  October  19,  1781.  On  that  day  a  new  nation 
was  born  and  foreign  domination  was  ended  forever 

25 


in  the  United  States.  There  is  no  brighter  page  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  Yorktown  was  the  capstone 
of  the  edifice  of  which  Concord  and  Lexington,  and 
Bunker  Hill  and  Trenton,  and  Princeton  and  Mon- 
mouth  were  the  foundations.  England  was  quick  to 
recognize  that  the  war  was  over.  The  victory  was 
almost  as  important  in  its  results  in  the  mother  coun- 
try as  in  America.  The  old  fogies  who  had  impeded 
progress  were  no  longer  tolerated,  and  forces  were 
set  at  work  and  reforms  were  instituted  which  made 
England  really  self-governing.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
Yorktown  we  should  have  had  a  Hanoverian  kaiser 
as  well  as  a  Hohenzollern.  The  freedom  of  Australia 
and  Canada,  no  less  than  that  of  the  United 
States,  was  won  by  America  and  France  united  at 
Yorktown.  On  the  day  Cornwallis  surrendered,  Wash- 
ington gave  as  the  parole  "Independence"  and  as  the 
countersign  "Rochambeau  and  De  Grasse."  In  1783, 
on  the  anniversary  of  the  French  alliance,  Washing- 
ton's orderly  book  shows  that  the  parole  for  the  day 
was  "America  and  France"  and  the  countersign 
"United  forever." 

April  9,  1781,  Washington  wrote  Colonel  John 
Laurens,  who  had  been  sent  over  to  obtain  assistance 
from  France :  "If  France  delays  a  timely  and  power- 
ful aid  in  the  critical  posture  of  our  affairs,  it  will 
avail  us  nothing  should  she  attempt  it  hereafter.  We 
are  at  this  hour  suspended  in  the  balance.  Day  does 
not  follow  night  more  certainly  than  it  brings  with 
it  some  additional  proof  of  the  impracticability  of 
carrying  on  the  war  without  the  aids  you  were  directed 
to  solicit.  As  an  honest  and  candid  man,  as  a  man 
whose  all  depends  on  the  final  and  happy  termination  . 
of  the  present  contest,  I  assert  this,  while  I  give  it 
decisively  as  my  opinion  that  without  a  foreign  loan 
our  present  force,  which  is  but  the  remnant  of  an 
army,  cannot  be  kept  together  this  campaign,  much 
less  will  it  be  increased  and  in  readiness  for  another." 
Washington  goes  on  to  say  that  there  is  no  money  to 

26 


pay  teamsters  to  carry  provisions  to  the  army,  the 
f  troops  are  nearly  naked,  the  hospitals  without  medi- 
cines and  the  sick  without  food  except  such  as  well 
men  eat.  "We  are  at  the  end  of  our  tether,  and  now 
or  never  our  deliverance  must  come." 

Although  France  herself  was  in  need,  Laurens 
obtained  from  the  French  government  a  gift  of 
6,000,000  francs.  He  brought  back  a  portion  of  this 
in  hard  cash  and  part  he  spent  for  arms,  ammunition 
and  clothing.  Franklin  wrote  in  a  letter  sent  by 
Laurens:  "This  court  continues  firm  and  steady  in 
its  friendship  and  does  everything  it  can  for  us.  Can- 
not we  do  a  little  more  for  ourselves?" 

Everything    we    needed    in    that    supreme    hour 
France  gave  us.     She  supplied  us  with  money  when 
our  own  currency  was  utterly  worthless;  she  supplied 
\   ships,  arms,  ammunition,  troops  and  heroic  leaders 
like  Rochambeau  and  De  Grasse,  whose  memory  will 
-  always  be  dear  to  the  American  people.     To  save 
America  France  had  to  bankrupt  herself.    Professor 
Clarion,  of  the  College  of  France,  thinks  that  partici- 
pation in   our   revolution   cost   France   2.00J).OJ11XQ£UX— 
francs.     Pickering,  who  was  Secretary  of  State  in 
/1797,  states  that  all  the  loans  and  supplies  received 
I  from  France  during  the  war  amounted  t(iJ 


Ifrancs.  It  should  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  population 
jof  France  was  then  but  22,000,000  and  that  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  money  was  at  least  three  times  as 

/  great  as  now. 

In  the  official  list  furnished  by  the  French  govern- 

\ment  are  the  names  of  47,000  officers  and  men,  of  sixty- 
itwo  vessels  and  thirteen  regiments,  who  landed  on  our 
shores  or  cruised  in  our  waters  during  our  revolution. 
[The  greatest  number  ashore  at  one  time  was  8400,.  At 
Savannah  the  French  lost  637  and  at  Yorktown  186.  It 
is  possible  here  to  name  but  a  few  of  the  sons  of 
France  to  whose  efficient  and  unselfish  services  we  owe 

•  so  much.    When  skilled  engineers  were  urgently  needed 
/  Du  Portail,  Launoy,  Radiere  and  Gouvion  came  to  our 

27 


aid;  officers  who  were  esteemed  in  the  French  army 
and  who  combined  practical  ability  with  scientific  . 
training.  They  directed  important  works  from  1777. 
Chevalier  du  Portail,  who  commanded  the  engineers  at 
Yorktown,  was  made  major  general  for  his  services  at 
the  siege  on  Washington's  special  recommendation. 
The  death  of  Radiere  in  1779  deprived  America  of  his 
valuable  services.  M.  de  Gouvion,  commandant  of 
artillery  and  engineers,  was  distinguished  at  Yorktown 
and  elsewhere.  Launoy  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  Washington.  Fleury  fought  with  such  gal- 
lantry at  Brandywine  that  Congress  presented  him  with 
a  horse  in  return  for  his  own,  which  had  been  killed  in 
battle,  and  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  bravery  at  Ger- 
mantown.  At  Fort  Mifilin  he  was  chief  engineer  dur- 
ing the  six  weeks  of  the  siege.  He  was  severely 
wounded  and  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  colonel  for 
his  courage  and  skill.  At  Stony  Point  he  was  the  first 
to  mount  the  ramparts,  and  seized  and  carried  off  the 
British  flag,  for  which  he  received  a  medal  from  Con- 
gress. For  his  services  at  Yorktown  he  received  from 
France  the  cross  of  St.  Louis  and  a  pension. 

Washington  speaks  of  the  "great  zeal,  activity, 
vigilance,  intelligence  and  courage"  of  the  Chevalier 
Armand,  Marquis  de  la  Rouerie.  In  1783  he  was  made 
brigadier  general.  Washington  wrote  the  President  of 
Congress  January  13,  1778 :  "This  will  be  delivered  to 
you  by  the  Chevalier  Mauduit  Duplessis,  who  was 
among  the  first  French  officers  that  joined  the  army  of 
the  United  States.  The  gallant  conduct  of  this  young 
gentleman  at  Brandywine  and  Germantown,  and  his 
distinguished  services  at  Fort  Mercer,  where  he  united 
the  offices  of  engineer  and  commandant  of  artillery,  • 
entitle  him  to  the  particular  notice  of  Congress.  He 
made  several  judicious  alterations  in  the  works  at  Red 
Bank,  showed  great  good  conduct  during  the  action  in 
which  the  Hessians  were  repulsed,  and  was  spoken  of, 
in  consequence,  in  terms  of  the  highest  applause  by 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  post.  After  the  evacua- 

28 


tion  was  determined  upon  he  became  the  means  of  sav- 
ing some  valuable  artillery  and  stores,  and  cheerfully 

'undertook  as  volunteer,  the  hazardous  operation  of 
blowing  up  the  magazines  without  the  apparatus  usual- 
ly provided  upon  such  occasions.  I  must  further  add 

'in  Monsieur  Duplessis's  favor  that  he  possesses  a 
degree  of  modesty  not  always  found  in  men  who  have 
performed  brilliant  actions." 

M.  Tousard,  a  French  officer  attached  to  Lafayette, 
rushed  boldly  forward  in  an  attempt  to  capture  a  can- 
non on  Rhode  Island  and  was  surrounded  by  British. 
His  horse  was  killed  under  him,  he  lost  his  right  arm, 
but  he  escaped  capture.  Congress  made  him  brevet 
lieutenant  colonel  and  gave  him  a  life  pension.  La 
Perouse,  the  daring  navigator  and  explorer,  who 
in  1788  was  lost  at  sea  with  his  entire  expedition, 
carried  young  Rochambeau  back  to  France,  he  pass- 
ing through  the  British  blockading  fleet  in  a  storm, 

•which  carried  away  his  mast.  When  Baron  St. 
Ovary,  who  aided  Lafayette  in  rallying  the  Americans, 
was  taken  prisoner  at  Brandywine,  Congress  called  him 

-"a  gallant  gentlemajn  from  France,  engaged  as  a  volun- 
teer in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  lately,  by 
the  fortune  of  war,  made  prisoner  by  the  British." 
Count  Charles  de  Lameth  was  severely  wounded  at 
Yorktown.  We  are  indebted  to  France  for  the  valuable 
services  of  Steuben  and  De  Kalb.  The  French  minister 
of  war,  St.  Germain,  induced  his  old  friend  and  com- 
panion in  the  army,  Baron  Steuben,  to  come  to  America 
to  train  Washington's  army,  and  the  French  govern- 
ment made  itself  responsible  for  Steuben's  expenses. 
He  was  a  brave  man,  of  great  ability,  who  had  seen 
.  long  service  under  the  greatest  masters  of  military 
affairs  of  the  time,  and  had  been  on  the  staff  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great.  It  was  on  a  ship  provided  by  Beau- 
marchais  that  Steuben  came,  and  Beaumarchais 
advanced  to  him  6000  francs  for  his  outfit.  In  the  ship 
were  military  stores  and  several  French  officers,  among 
them  L'Enf  ant,  who  later  planned  the  city  of  Washing- 

29 


ton  and  remodeled  the  city  hall  in  New  York  for  the 
use  of  Congress.  L'Enfant  was  wounded  while  he  was 
leading  the  advance  in  Lincoln's  assault  on  Savannah. 
He  was  captured  at  the  siege  of  Charleston.  Baron  De 
Kalb,  who  was  mortally  wounded  at  Cowpens,  had  seen 
more  than  thirty  years  of  military  service  before  he 
came  to  America.  His  aide-de-camp,  Chevalier 
Dubuysson,  wrote  that  De  Kalb  withstood  "with  the 
brave  Marylanders  alone  the  furious  charge  of  the 
whole  British  army ;  but  superior  bravery  was  obliged 
at  length  to  yield  to  superior  numbers,  and  the  baron, 
having  had  his  horse  killed  under  him,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  pierced  with  eight  wounds  by 
bayonets  and  three  musket  balls.  I  stood  by  the  baron 
during  the  action  and  shared  his  fate,  being  taken  by 
his  side,  wounded  in  both  arms  and  hands." 

It  will  be  necessary  to  devote  a  special  section  to 
the  efficient  and  devoted  services  which  Lafayette  ren- 
dered to  our  country. 

Rochambeau  thus  describes  the  meeting  with  the 
American  forces  when  the  first  division  of  the  French 
army,  returning  from  the  south,  arrived  at  Kings 
Ferry,  September  15,  1782:  "General  Washington, 
wishing  to  testify  his  respect  for  France  and  his 
recognition  of  the  benefits  she  had  rendered,  caused  us 
to  pass  between  two  lines  of  troops,  clad,  equipped  and 
armed  with  clothing  and  arms  from  France,  and  from 
the  English  magazines  taken  at  Yorktown,  which  the 
French  army  had  relinquished  to  the  Americans.  He 
ordered  the  drums  to  beat  a  French  march  during  the 
whole  review,  and  the  two  armies  rejoined  with  the 
most  lively  demonstrations  of  reciprocal  satisfaction." 
The  French  army  under  Viomenil  sailed  for  home  from 
Boston  December  24,  1782.  Rochambeau,  Chastellux 
and  De  Choisy  sailed  from  Annapolis  January  11, 
1783.  De  Lauzun's  troops  sailed  from  the  Delaware 
capes  May  12,  1783,  with  some  others  who  had  been  left 
by  Rochambeau  to  remove  artillery  and  stores  from 
Yorktown. 

30 


The  letters  which  were  exchanged  between  Wash- 
^ington  and  our  French  allies  are  creditable  to  both 
nations,  for  they  are  the  words  of  high-minded  men 
who  had  made  common  cause  for  humanity.  They  are 
more  than  mere  expressions  of  courtesy,  they  are  warm 
with  real  emotion.  As  Rochambeau  was  on  the  point  of 
sailing  for  France  Washington  wrote  him :  "I  cannot 
permit  you  to  depart  from  this  country  without  repeat- 
ing to  you  the  high  sense  I  entertain  of  the  services  you 
have  rendered  to  America,  by  the  constant  attention 
which  you  have  paid  to  the  interest  of  it,  by  the  exact 
order  and  discipline  of  the  corps  under  your  command, 
and  by  your  readiness  at  all  times  to  give  facility  to 
every  measure  which  the  force  of  the  combined  armies 
were  competent  to."  The  Maryland  Assembly  sent 
Rochambeau  an  address  which  stated :  "We  view  with 
regret  the  departure  of  troops  which  have  so  conducted, 
so  endeared,  and  so  distinguished  themselves,  and  we 
'pray  that  the  laurels  they  have  gathered  before  York- 
town  may  never  fade,  and  that  victory  to  whatever 
quarter  of  the  globe  they  direct  their  arms,  may  follow 
"their  standard." 

On  the  first  anniversary  of  Yorktown  Washing- 
ton gave  a  dinner  to  the  French  officers  who  were  sail- 
ing three  days  later  and  were  never  to  see  him  again. 
Closen  says :  "There  is  no  sort  of  kindness  and  tokens 
of  goodwill  we  have  not  received  from  General  Wash- 
ington; the  idea  of  parting  from  the  French  army, 
probably  forever,  seemed  to  cause  him  real  sorrow, 
having,  as  he  had,  received  the  most  convincing  proofs 
of  the  respect,  the  veneration,  the  esteem,  and  even  the 
attachment  which  every  individual  in  the  army  felt  for 
him."  Luzerne  wrote  Washington:  "I  cannot  deny 
myself  the  pleasure  of  informing  you  of  the  senti- 
ments with  which  the  reports  of  the  French  officers, 
on  their  return  to  Versailles,  inspired  the  court  and 
nation  toward  your  excellency.  Their  testimony  can 
add  nothing  to  the  universal  opinion  respecting  the 
great  services  which  you  have  rendered  to  your  coun- 

31 


try,  but,  to  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  the  French, 
will  henceforth  be  added  a  sentiment  of  affection  and 
attachment  which  is  a  just  return  for  the  attentions 
our  officers  have  received  from  you,  and  for  the 
progress  they  have  made  in  their  profession  by  serving 
under  your  orders." 

Washington  wrote  Baron  Antoine  Viomenil,  who 
was  second  in  command  to  Rochambeau,  December 
7,  1782:  "The  many  great  and  amiable  qualities 
which  you  possess  have  inspired  me  with  the  greatest 
sentiments  of  esteem  for  your  character."  Baron 
Viomenil  replied:  "The  veneration  with  which  this 
army  was  penetrated  from  the  first  moment  they  had 
the  honor  of  being  presented  to  your  excellency  by 
Comte  de  Rochambeau,  their  confidence  in  your  talents 
and  the  wisdom  of  your  orders,  the  remembrance  of 
your  kindness  and  attention  and  the  example  you  set 
them  in  every  critical  circumstance,  the  approbation, 
regret  and  wishes  you  have  honored  them  with  at  their 
departure ;  these  are  considerations  by  which  you  may 
be  assured  there  is  not  an  individual  officer  in  this 
army  who  is  not  sensibly  touched  as  he  is  flattered  by 
your  approbation."  Antoine  Viomenil  was  mortally 
wounded  defending  the  royal  family  in  the  attack  on 
the  Tuilleries.  His  brother,  Charles  Joseph  Viomenil, 
was  afterward  governor  of  Martinique  and  a  marshal 
of  France. 

December  14,  1782,  Washington  wrote  Chastellux: 
"A  sense  of  your  public  services  to  this  country  and 
gratitude  for  your  private  friendship  quite  overcame 
me  at  the  moment  of  our  separation.  But  I  should  do 
violence  to  my  feelings  and  inclination  were  I  to  suffer 
you  to  leave  this  country  without  the  warmest 
assurances  of  an  affectionate  regard  for  your  person 
and  character."  Washington  wrote  Lauzun  May  10, 
1783:  "Your  particular  services,  sir,  with  the  polite- 
ness, zeal  and  attention  which  I  have  ever  experienced 
from  you,  have  made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  on 
my  mind  and  will  serve  to  endear  you  to  my  remem- 

32 


brance.  It  would  have  been  a  great  satisfaction  to 
have  had  another  opportunity  to  give  you  in  person 
'the  assurances  of  my  regard  could  your  orders  have 
permitted  your  longer  continuance  in  the  country." 

Rochambeau  wrote  of  Washington:  "From  the 
moment  we  began  to  correspond  with  one  another  I 
never  ceased  to  enjoy  the  soundness  of  his  judgment 
and  the  amenity  of  his  style  in  a  very  long  correspond- 
ence which  is  likely  not  to  end  before  the  death  of  one 
of  us." 

May  10,  1783,  Washington  wrote  Rochambeau: 
"To  the  generous  help  of  your  nation  and  to  the 
bravery  of  her  forces  must  be  attributed,  to  a  very 
large  extent,  that  independence  for  which  we  have 
striven  and  which,  after  a  severe  contest  of  more  than 
seven  years,  we  have  secured.  The  first  wish  of  my 
heart  is  to  pay  the  tribute  of  respect  to  a  country  to 
which,  by  public  and  private  considerations,  I  feel 
.myself  attached  by  the  most  affectionate  ties."  As  I 
have  been  unable  to  obtain  the  original  of  this  letter, 
I  am  retranslating  it  from  the  French.  July  13,  1783, 
Rochambeau  wrote  Washington:  "I  see  you  at  the 
glorious  end  of  all  your  toils  and  with  the  desire  to 
come  to  France.  Try,  my  dear  general,  to  effectuate 
this  project.  Let  nothing  oppose  itself  to  the  idea. 
Come  and  receive  in  a  country  which  honors  you  and 
which  has  admired  you  the  plaudits  due  to  a  great 
man.  You  may  be  assured  of  a  reception  without 
example.  You  will  be  received  as  you  desire  to  be, 
after  a  revolution  which  has  not  its  like  in  history. 
Everybody  smiles  already  at  the  hopes  you  give  me 
in  your  letter,  and  my  heart  beats  with  pleasure  at  the 
thought  of  embracing  you  once  more. 

"It  seems  to  me  you  should  embark  about  the  begin- 
ning of  October,  so  as  to  be  here  about  the  beginning 
of  November.  You  will  then  find  the  court  returned 
"  from  Fontainebleau.  You  will  pass  your  winter  in 
the  midst  of  the  gayeties  of  Paris  and  Versailles, 
and  in  the  spring  we  will  carry  you  to  our  country 

33 


seats.    Come,  my  dear  general,  and  satisfy  the  desires 
of  a  nation  whose  hearts  are  already  yours." 

Washington  wrote  Rochambeau  February  1,  1784, 
these  words,  which  have  been  placed  on  the  pedestal 
of  the  statue  of  Rochambeau  in  Washington:  "We 
have  been  contemporaries  and  fellow-workers  in  the 
cause  of  liberty  and  we  have  lived  together  as  brothers 
should  do  in  harmonious  friendship."  Washington 
wrote  Rochambeau  from  Mount  Vernon  that  he  was 
engaged  "in  rural  employments  and  in  contemplation 
of  those  friendships  which  the  revolution  enabled  me 
to  form  with  so  many  worthy  characters  of  your  nation, 
through  whose  assistance  I  can  now  sit  down  in  my 
calm  retreat."  In  1786  Washington  wrote  Rocham- 
beau: "The  sincerity,  honor  and  bravery  of  your 
troops,  the  high-minded  patriotism  and  the  delicate 
sympathy  which  animate  so  many  of  your  compatriots, 
with  whom,  I  venture  to  say,  I  am  intimately 
acquainted,  and,  above  all,  the  keen  interest  which 
your  illustrious  monarch  and  his  loyal  subjects  have 
taken  in  the  success  of  the  American  cause  and  in  the 
development  of  our  independence,  have  made  your 
nation  very  dear  to  me  and  have  formed  ties  and  left 
us  impressions  which  neither  time  nor  circumstances 
can  destroy."  In  1789  Rochambeau  was  made  governor 
of  Alsace.  He  also  became  marshal  of  France,  and 
Napoleon  gave  him  a  pension  and  the  grand  cross  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor. 

The  key  of  the  Bastile,  now  at  Mount  Vernon, 
was  sent  to  Washington  by  Lafayette,  who  wrote: 
"It  is  a  tribute  which  I  owe  as  a  son  to  my  adopted 
father,  as  an  aide-de-camp  to  my  general,  as  a  mis- 
sionary of  liberty  to  its  patriarch."  The  French  Con- , 
vention  in  1792  conferred  on  Washington  the  title  of 
citizen  of  France  because  he  was  "one  of  the  bene- 
factors of  mankind."  As  a  sacred  emblem  of  liberty 
the  American  flag  was  displayed  in  the  hall  where  the 
convention  met.  French  officers  presented  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington with  a  dinner  service,  each  piece  with  her 

34 


initials  in  the  center.  On  the  news  of  Washington's 
death,  the  French  republic  went  into  mourning. 
Officers  wore  crape  for  ten  days,  flags  were  half  masted 
and  Bonaparte  issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  said : 
"Washington  is  dead.  This  great  man  fought  tyranny. 
He  established  on  a  safe  basis  the  liberty  of  his  country. 
His  memory  will  ever  be  dear  to  the  French  people, 
as  well  as  to  all  the  free  men  of  the  two  worlds,  and 
especially  to  French  soldiers."  In  the  presence  of 
Napoleon  the  celebrated  orator  Fontanes  delivered  at 
the  Invalides  a  funeral  eulogy,  in  which  he  said: 
"Washington's  work  is  scarcely  perfected  and  it  is 
already  surrounded  by  that  veneration  that  is  usually 
bestowed  only  on  what  has  been  consecrated  by  time. 
The  American  revolution,  of  which  we  are  contempor- 
aries, seems  now  consolidated  forever.  Washington 
began  it  by  his  energy  and  achieved  it  by  his  modera- 
tion. In  rendering  a  public  homage  to  Washington, 
France  pays  a  debt  to  him  by  the  two  worlds." 

The  Frenchman  Houdon  has  given  us  in  his  statue 
what  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  likeness  of  Wash- 
ington. It  is  to  Houdon's  everlasting  credit  that  he 
insisted  on  braving  the  perils  of  the  ocean  in  order  that 
he  might  do  his  work  from  life  in  the  most  perfect 
manner.  Houdon's  statue  of  Washington  is  not  the 
least  of  the  debts  we  owe  to  France.  I  have  studied 
most  of  the  galleries  of  Europe  and  I  doubt  if  there 
is  another  work  of  art  in  the  world  in  which  historic 
interest  is  so  combined  with  artistic  excellence.  The 
descriptions  of  Washington,  which  have  been  left  us 
by  the  soldier  authors  of  France  who  knew  and  loved 
him,  are  numerous  and  appreciative. 

We  hear  so  much  about  the  soldiers  of  France  that 
her  sailors  are  sometimes  overlooked.  Among  them 
were  great  men  who  rendered  inestimable  services  to 
our  country.  Where  can  we  find  in  history  another 
instance  of  an  admiral  like  D'Estaing  leading  his  forces 
in  a  land  attack  and  being  twice  wounded  ?  Those  who 
served  under  De  Grasse  said :  "Our  admiral  is  six  feet 
high  on  ordinary  days  and  six  feet  six  on  battle  days." 

35 


Paul  Jones  wrote  Silas  Deane  of  the  exchange  of 
salutes  for  the  first  time  between  "Freedom's  Flag  and 
that  of  France,"  February  14,  1778,  at  Quibeon  Bay, 
and  he  added:  "The  French  squadron  is  officered  by 
a  well-bred  set  of  men,  all  of  whom  have  visited  the 
Ranger  and  expressed  great  satisfaction,  calling  her 
'un  parfait  Bijou';  when  we  visited  their  ships  we 
were  received  with  every  mark  of  respect  and  gladness 
and  saluted  with  a  'feu  de  joie'." 

The  only  time  Washington  had  control  of  the  sea 
was  at  Yorktown,  and  he  put  an  end  to  the  war  there. 
If  he  had  controlled  the  sea  at  Boston,  he  could  have 
ended  it  five  years  sooner,  but  we  had  no  French  allies 
at  Boston.  France  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  most 
powerful  country  in  the  world  on  land,  and  in  1781 
was  able  to  dispute  the  control  of  the  sea  with  Britain. 
Washington  called  the  French  fleet  "the  most  numer- 
ous and  powerful  that  ever  appeared  in  these  seas." 
The  French  navy  was  charged  not  only  with  carrying  • 
on  the  war  by  sea  with  the  greatest  naval  power  in 
the  world,  but  also  with  the  transportation  of  troops 
and  supplies.  The  services  which  France  had  to  ren- 
der in  taking  up  our  cause  include  not  only  the  naval 
and  military  forces  sent  to  our  shores,  but  also  the 
protection  of  her  own  ports  and  colonies  against  power- 
ful fleets  and  operations  in  Europe,  Africa  and  Asia. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  France  came  into  the  war, 
England  had  to  protect  her  possessions,  in  the  West 
Indies,  Africa  and  India  and  on  the  Mediterranean.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  Warren  Hastings  she  might  have 
lost  India. 

It  is  among  the  proudest  achievements  of  our  na- 
tion that  we  have  now  proved  that  we  are  not  unworthy 
of  all  that  France  has  done  for  us.  I  do  not  know  a 
man  in  the  United  States  army  who  would  not  have 
gone  over  to  fight  for  France,  if  it  had  been  in  his 
power  to  get  there.  Perilous  seas  divided,  but  thanks 
to  our  efficient  navy,  a  thousand  leagues  of  water  could 
not  separate  us,  and  American  blood  has  mingled  with 

36 


French  blood  to  liberate  and  to  consecrate  the  soil  of 
France.  New  glory  has  been  added  to  Old  Glory.  The 
red,  white  and  blue  of  the  flags  of  America  and  of 
France  have  been  united  in  battle  and  are  now  united 
in  victory.  As  France  came  in  our  hour  of  supreme 

"  need  and  exerted  the  determining  influence  when  our 
armies  had  been  struggling  for  years  in  the  American 
revolution,  so  America  has  been  privileged  to  provide 
in  France  the  determining  influence  in  the  world  war. 
Lafayette  wrote  of  the  American  revolution,  "Never 
had  so  noble  a  purpose  offered  itself  to  the  judgment 
of  men !  This  was  the  last  struggle  of  liberty ;  its  de- 
feat then  would  have  left  it  without  a  refuge  and  with- 
out hope."  These  words  also  exactly  describe  the  situa- 
tion in  France  when  America  entered  the  World  War. 
As  Lafayette  counted  it  the  greatest  honor  of  his  dis- 
tinguished life  to  have  served  under  Washington,  so 
Pershing  has  been  proud  to  serve  under  Foch.  "Lafay- 

•  ette,  we're  here,"  is  with  one  exception  the  most 
practically  eloquent  speech  that  I  know.  It  is  com- 
parable to  the  speech  that  Washington  made  in  Vir- 

«  ginia  at  the  beginning  of  the  revolution.  "I  will  raise 
a  thousand  men  at  my  own  expense  and  march  at  their 
head  to  the  relief  of  Boston." 

I  have  now  told  the  wonderful  story  of  what 
France,  our  ancient  ally,  did  for  us  at  a  time  when  no 
one  else  would  help  us.  Washington  wrote  Luzerne 
March  29,  1783— "The  articles  of  the  general  treaty 
do  not  appear  so  favorable  to  France,  in  point  of  terri- 
torial acquisitions,  as  they  do  to  other  powers.  But 
the  magnanimous  and  disinterested  scale  of  action, 
which  that  great  nation  has  exhibited  to  the  world  dur- 
ing this  war,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  peace,  will  insure 
to  the  king  and  nation  that  reputation,  which  will  be 
of  more  consequence  to  them  than  every  other  consid- 
eration." Washington's  farsighted  vision  has  proved 
correct  in  this,  as  in  so  many  other  instances.  Wash- 
ington wrote  D'Estaing:  "The  welfare  of  the  French 
nation  cannot  but  be  dear  to  this  country,  and  that  its 

37 

279552 


happiness  may  in  the  end  be  established  on  the  most 
permanent  and  liberal  foundation  is  the  ardent  wish 
of  every  true  American." 

As  long  as  the  children  of  America  have  a  morsel 
of  bread  they  should  share  it  with  the  orphans  of 
France.  Our  army  and  our  navy  have  done  their  part 
nobly  to  repay  our  debt  to  France.  What  are  the 
people  of  America  going  to  do? 


II 


In  justice  to  the  memory  of  Lafayette  it  is  neces- 
sary that  a  statement  should  be  made  of  the  priceless 
services  which  he  rendered  to  our  country  in  its  time 
of  utmost  need,  for  that  there  is  an  astonishing  mis- 
understanding of  them  is  shown  in  an  article  in  a 
prominent  magazine  which  states:  "He  was  never 
a  great  fighter,  and  his  military  career  in  America, 
though  respectable,  was  not  distinguished.  It  is 
hard  to  know  what  peculiar  and  signal  service  he 
rendered."  Lafayette  voiced  the  spirit  of  France  when 
he  wrote:  "The  moment  I  heard  of  America  I  loved 
her ;  the  moment  I  knew  she  was  fighting  for  freedom, 
I  burned  with  a  desire  of  bleeding  for  her  ;f  and  the 
moment  I  shall  be  able  to  serve  her,  at  any  time  or  in 
any  part  of  the  world,  will  be  the  happiest  one  of  my 

38 


life."  Lafayette  became  the  living  expression  of  the 
beautiful  soul  of  France.  He  was  honorable,  chival- 
rous and  of  noble  birth;  a  warrior  by  heredity  and 
training,  his  father  had  died  gloriously  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  on  the  field  of 
battle.  Young  Lafayette  was  lieutenant  in  a  crack  regi- 
ment and  had  been  well  drilled  in  the  rudiments  of  his 
profession.  His  stubborness — or  shall  we  say  pertinac- 
ity— made  him  stick  to  his  purpose  of  coming  to  our 
aid  in  spite  of  all  the  obstacles  which  a  government  as 
yet  neutral  was  forced  to  put  in  his  way.  The  marquis 
was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  with  broad  shoulders,  high 
forehead  and  beautiful  hazel  eyes.  He  wrote:  "In 
presenting  my  19-year-old  face  to  Mr.  Deane  I  spoke 
more  of  my  zeal  than  of  my  experience,"  and  he  added, 
"It  is  precisely  in  time  of  danger  that  I  wish  to 
share  whatever  fortune  may  have  in  store  for  you." 
The  only  reward  which  he  asked  for  his  services  was 
to  be  enrolled  as  an  American  soldier  under  General 
Washington. 

Lafayette  had  a  yearly  income  of  200,000  francs, 
•equal  in  purchasing  power  to  at  least  $100,000  at  the 
present  time.  He  left  his  wife  and  child,  bought  a 
ship,  and  in  order  to  buy  the  ship  he  had  to  buy  its 
cargo.  He  brought  with  him  to  America  De  Kalb  and 
twelve  other  officers,  one  of  whom  was  Colonel  de  Val- 
fort,  who  later,  as  director  of  the  military  school  at 
Brienne,  became  the  chief  instructor  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  On  the  voyage  Lafayette  wrote  his  wife 
that  he  thought  his  service  under  Washington  would 
be  "a  brevet  of  immortality.  The  happiness  of  Amer- 
ica is  intimately  connected  with  the  happiness  of  all 
mankind ;  she  is  destined  to  become  the  safe  and  vener- 
able asylum  of  virtue,  of  honesty,  of  tolerance,  of 
equality  and  of  peaceful  liberty."  It  took  them  fifty-four 
days  to  make  the  voyage  to  South  Carolina,  and  thirty- 
two  more  to  journey  on  horseback  to  Philadelphia, 
where,  at  a  public  dinner,  early  in  August,  1777,  Lafa- 
yette first  met  Washington.  He  writes:  "Although 

39 


he  was  surrounded  by  officers  and  citizens  it  was  impos- 
sible to  mistake  for  a  moment  his  majestic  figure  and 
deportment ;  nor  was  he  less  distinguished  by  the  noble 
affability  of  his  manner."  The  day  after  this  dinner 
Washington  invited  Lafayette  to  go  with  him  to  inspect 
the  forts  on  the  Delaware. 

Although  less  than  twenty,  Lafayette  was  commis- 
sioned major  general  by  Congress  July  31,  1777. 

The  Journal  of  Congress  thus  records  his  appoint- 
ment: "Whereas  the  Marquis  of  Lafayette,  out  of  his 
great  zeal  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  in  which  the  United 
States  are  engaged,  has  left  his  family  and  connexions, 
and  at  his  own  expense,  come  over  to  offer  his  services 
to  the  United  States,  without  pension  or  particular 
allowance,  and  is  anxious  to  risk  his  life  in  our  cause ; 
Resolved,  That  his  service  be  accepted,  and  that  in  con- 
sideration of  his  zeal,  his  illustrious  family  and  con- 
nexions, he  have  the  rank  and  commission  of  major 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States." 

Lafayette  soon  won  the  affection  and  respect  of 
the  American  army  by  his  bravery  and  self-denial.  He 
had  to  work  hard;  every  one  did  who  served  under 
Washington;  but,  though  brought  up  in  luxury,  no 
fatigue  was  too  great  for  him  to  endure.  He  wrote: 
"I  study,  I  read,  I  examine,  I  listen,  I  reflect,  and  upon 
the  result  of  all  this  I  make  an  effort  to  form  an 
opinion,  and  to  put  into  it  as  much  common  sense  as 
I  can.  I  am  cautious  not  to  talk  much,  lest  I  should 
say  some  foolish  thing,  and  still  more  cautious  in  my 
actions,  lest  I  should  do  some  foolish  thing,  for  I  do 
not  wish  to  disappoint  the  confidence  that  the  Ameri- 
cans have  so  kindly  placed  in  me."  Three  weeks  after 
he  met  Washington,  Lafayette  wrote  his  wife:  "This 
excellent  man,  whose  talents  and  virtues  I  admired, 
and  whom  I  have  learned  to  revere  as  I  know  him 
better,  has  now  become  my  intimate  friend ;  his  affec- 
tionate interest  in  me  instantly  won  my  heart.  I  am 
established  in  his  house,  and  we  live  together  like  two 
attached  brothers  with  mutual  confidence  and  cordial- 

40 


ity.  This  friendship  renders  me  as  happy  as  I  can 
possibly  be  in  this  country."  Lafayette  wrote  his 
'father-in-law:  "Our  general  is  a  man  truly  made  for 
this  revolution,  which  could  not  be  successfully  accom- 
plished without  him.  I  see  him  nearer  than  any  other 
•man  in  the  world ;  and  I  see  that  he  is  worthy  of  the 
adoration  of  his  country.  His  warm  friendship  and 
his  entire  confidence  in  me  in  regard  to  all  military 
and  political  subjects,  great  and  small,  that  occupy 
him,  place  me  in  a  situation  to  judge  of  all  that  he  has 
to  perform,  to  reconcile  and  to  overcome.  I  admire 
him  more  each  day  for  the  beauty  of  his  character  and 
of  his  mind."  Letters  like  this  had  great  influence  in 
France. 

Lafayette  wrote  Washington:  "The  only  favor  I 
have  asked  of  your  commissioner  in  France  has  been, 
not  to  be  under  any  orders  but  those  of  General  Wash- 
ington. I  seem  to  have  had  an  anticipation  of  our 
tf uture  friendship ;  and  what  I  have  done  out  of  esteem 
and  respect  for  your  excellency's  name  and  reputation 
I  should  do  now  for  mere  love  for  General  Washing- 
ton himself.  Anything,  my  dear  general,  you  will  order 
or  even  wish,  shall  always  be  infinitely  agreeable  to 
me,  and  I  will  always  feel  happy  in  doing  anything 
which  may  please  you,  or  forward  the  public  good." 

September  11,  1777,  at  the  Battle  of  the  Brandy- 
wine,  when  the  Americans  were  making  a  disorderly 
retreat,  Lafayette  dismounted,  and  while  bravely  striv- 
ing to  re-form  them,  a  bullet  passed  through  his  leg, 
but  he  carried  on  until  the  blood  was  flowing  from  his 
boot  and  he  had  to  be  removed  from  the  field.  He 
wrote  to  his  wife:  "The  honor  to  have  mingled  my 
blood  with  that  of  many  other  American  soldiers  on 
'the  heights  of  the  Brandy  wine  has  been  to  me  a  source 
of  pride  and  delight."  Of  Washington's  affectionate 
interest  at  this  time  Lafayette  wrote :  "When  he  sent 
*  his  surgeon-in-chief  to  me,  he  directed  him  to  care  for 
me  as  if  I  were  his  son,  because  he  loved  me  as  much ; 
and,  having  heard  that  I  wanted  to  join  the  army  too 

41 


soon  again  he  wrote  a  letter  full  of  tenderness,  in  which 
he  admonished  me  to  wait  until  I  should  be  entirely 
well."  Lafayette  went  back  to  the  army  about  October 
20th,  before  he  was  able  to  wear  a  boot.  Count  Dumas, 
aide  to  General  Rochambeau,  records  that  more  than 
three  years  later,  in  January,  1781,  when  a  number  of 
French  gentlemen  were  visiting  West  Point,  General 
Washington  perceived,  as  they  were  about  to  mount 
their  horses,  that  Lafayette,  in  consequence  of  his  old 
wound  received  at  the  battle  of  the  Brandywine,  was 
very  much  fatigued,  and  on  that  account  they  returned 
to  headquarters  by  boat.  When  Lafayette  was  ill, 
Washington  rode  the  eight  miles  from  headquarters  to 
Fishkill  every  day  for  three  weeks  to  ask  after  him, 
though  the  commander-in-chief  was  not  allowed  to  see 
him  till  he  was  better. 

Of  an  engagement  near  Gloucester,  N.  J.,  late  in 
November,  1777,  General  Greene  wrote  Washington: 
"The  marquis,  with  about  400  militia  and  the  rifle  corps, 
attacked  the  enemy's  picket  last  evening,  killed  about 
twenty,  wounded  many  more  and  took  about  twenty 
prisoners.  The  marquis  is  charmed  with  the  spirited 
behavior  of  the  militia  and  rifle  corps;  they  drove  the 
enemy  about  half  a  mile,  and  kept  the  ground  until 
dark.  The  enemy's  picket  consisted  of  about  300,  and 
were  reinforced  during  the  skirmish.  The  marquis 
is  determined  to  be  in  the  way  of  danger."  December 
1,  1777,  Lafayette  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  a 
division.  This  was  one  of  the  four  divisions  at  Valley 
Forge,  where  he  outwitted  the  enemy  when  they  had 
his  force  nearly  surrounded  at  Barren  Hill.  Of  this 
engagement  Washington  wrote :  "The  marquis,  by  de- 
pending on  the  militia  to  patrol  the  roads  to  his  left, 
had  very  nearly  been  caught  in  a  snare — in  fact,  he 
was  in  it,  but  by  his  own  dexterity  or  by  the  enemy's 
want  of  it,  he  disengaged  himself  in  a  very  soldierly 
manner,  and  by  an  orderly  and  well-conducted  retreat " 
got  out."  Lafayette  wrote  of  Valley  Forge:  "The 
patient  endurance  of  both  soldiers  and  officers  was  a 

42 


miracle  which  every  moment  serves  to  renew;  but  the 
sacred  fire  of  liberty  was  not  extinguished." 

Washington's  success  was  largely  due  to  the  fact 
that  he  was  an  accurate  judge  of  men;  his  estimate  of 
Lafayette  is:  "He  possesses  uncommon  military  tal- 
'ents — is  of  a  quick  and  sound  judgment,  persevering 
and  enterprising  without  rashness."  Washington  also 
wrote :  "He  unites  to  all  the  military  fire  of  youth  an 
uncommon  maturity  of  judgment."  When  the  enemies 
of  Washington  were  dining  at  York  while  the  General 
and  his  army  were  suffering  at  Valley  Forge,  Lafa- 
yette, who  happened  to  be  present,  rose  and  reminded 
the  party  that  there  was  one  toast  they  had  omitted, 
and  then  gave,  "The  Commander-in-chief."  There  is 
something  superbly  courageous  in  this  French  boy  thus 
correcting  those  who  were  superior  to  him  in  age,  but 
not  in  loyalty.  Lafayette  wrote  Steuben  with  regard 
to  Washington:  "No  enemies  to  that  great  man  can 
•be  found,  except  among  the  enemies  of  his  country; 
nor  is  it  possible  for  a  man  of  a  loving  spirit  to 
refrain  from  loving  the  excellent  qualities  of  his  heart. 
•I  think  I  know  him  as  well  as  any  person,  and  such  is 
the  idea  which  I  have  formed  of  him.  His  honesty,  his 
frankness,  his  sensibility,  his  virtue  to  the  full  extent 

c  in  which  this  word  can  be  understood,  are  above  all 
praise.  It  is  not  for  me  to  judge  of  his  military  tal- 
ents ;  but  according  to  my  imperfect  knowledge  of  these 
matters,  his  advice  in  council  has  always  appeared  the 
best,  although  his  modesty  prevents  him  sometimes 
from  sustaining  it,  and  his  predictions  have  generally 
been  fulfilled." 

Washington  loved  Lafayette  best  of  all  men,  and 

/  those  who  consider  his  nature  cold  should  read  his  let- 
ters to  the  young  Frenchman.  He  wrote  Lafayette: 
"The  sentiments  of  affection  and  attachment,  which 

,..  breathe  so  conspicuously  in  all  your  letters  to  me,  are 
at  once  pleasing  and  honorable,  and  afford  me  abundant 
cause  to  rejoice  at  the  happiness  of  my  acquaintance 
with  you.  Your  love  of  liberty,  the  just  sense  you 

43 


1: 


entertain  of  this  valuable  blessing,  and  your  noble  and 
disinterested  exertions  in  the  cause  of  it,  added  to  the 
innate  goodness  of  your  heart,  conspire  to  render  you 
dear  to  me ;  and  I  think  myself  happy  in  being  linked 
with  you  in  bonds  of  the  strictest  friendship." 

In  1779,  Lafayette  returned  to  France  on  a  fur- 
lough, and  in  a  letter  to  Franklin,  who  was  represent- 
ing America  in  France,  Washington  thus  sums  up 
Lafayette's  services  to  our  country  up  to  that  time: 
"The  generous  motives  which  first  induced  him  to  cross 
the  Atlantic ;  the  tribute  which  he  paid  to  gallantry  at 
the  Brandywine;  his  success  in  Jersey  before  he  had 
recovered  from  his  wounds,  in  an  affair  where  he  com- 
manded militia  against  British  grenadiers;  the  bril- 
liant retreat,  by  which  he  eluded  a  combined  maneuver 
of  the  whole  British  force  in  the  last  campaign;  the 
services  in  the  enterprise  against  Rhode  Island,  are 
such  proofs  of  his  zeal,  military  ardor  and  talents  as 
have  endeared  him  to  America."  Washington  does  not 
mention  here  the  efficient  work  of  Lafayette  in  the  pur- 
suit of  the  British  through  New  Jersey  which  culmi- 
nated in  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  where  victory  was 
snatched  from  our  arms  by  the  treason  of  Charles  Lee. 

When  Lafayette  first  went  to  America  he  was 
obliged  to  sail  secretly,  because  France  was  not  yet  at 
war  with  Great  Britain.  On  his  return  to  his  native 
land,  Lafayette  was  the  hero  of  the  hour  and  the  recog- 
nized authority  on  American  military  affairs  with  the 
French  government.  Duniol,  who  has  written  the  most 
important  work  on  the  relations  between  France  and 
America,  says  that  Vergennes,  the  French  minister  of 
foreign  affairs,  had  yielded  like  Washington,  to  the 
charm  of  Lafayette,  whose  sagacity  and  clearness  of  • 
vision,  combined  with  his  youth  and  enthusiasm,  had 
made  as  great  an  impression  at  Versailles  as  they  had 
with  the  army  of  the  United  States  and  with  Congress.  . 
The  services  which  Lafayette  rendered  to  our  coun- 
try on  this  visit  are  by  far  the  most  important  of  his 
life,  for  it  was  largely  due  to  his  persistence  that 

44 


France  sent  such  powerful  forces  under  Rochambeau 
and  De  Grasse  that  the  war  was  brought  to  a  victorious 
end  at  Yorktown,  and  it  was  at  Lafayette's  suggestion 
that  the  order  was  given  that  French  forces  should 
yield  precedence  to  the  American  troops.  I  cite  the 
following  authorities  to  show  the  recognized  import- 
ance of  the  work  which  Lafayette  did  for  the  United 
States  at  this  time.  Hon.  Charlemagne  Tower  states 
that  Lafayette's  incessant  presentation  of  the  Ameri- 
can cause  to  the  cabinet  of  King  Louis  XVI,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  Comte  de  Vergennes  and  the  Comte 
de  Maurepas,  had  an  influence  which  contributed  very 
greatly  to  the  ultimate  establishment  of  independence 
in  the  United  States. 

Edward  Everett  wrote:  "Considerable  discontent 
had  arisen  in  connection  with  Count  d'Estaing's  move- 
ments in  Rhode  Island,  which  had  it  not  been  allayed 
by  the  prudent  and  effectual  mediation  of  Lafayette 
would  probably  have  prevented  a  French  army  from 
being  sent  over  to  the  United  States.  He  pursued  the 
object  with  an  ardor,  an  industry  and  adroitness  which 
nothing  could  surpass.  When  his  correspondence  with 
the  French  ministers,  particularly  the  Count  de  Ver- 
gennes, shall  be  published  it  will  appear  that  it  was 
mainly  the  personal  efforts  and  personal  influence  of 
Lafayette,  idol  of  the  French  people  as  he  had  made 
himself,  which  caused  the  army  of  Rochambeau  to  be 
sent  to  America." 

Sparks,  who  knew  Lafayette  personally,  comments 

I  on  Everett's  statement :  "This  is  an  accurate  view  of 
facts.  By  repeated  conferences  with  the  ministers,  by 
unwearied  zeal  and  unceasing  solicitation,  he  at  length 

•'roused  the  attention  of  the  French  court,  and  accom- 
plished his  purpose;  taking  upon  himself  the  entire 
responsibility  in  regard  to  America,  and  to  the  manner 

*  in  which  the  army  would  be  received  by  the  people. 
The  event  showed  with  how  much  discrimination  he 
had  studied  their  character."  As  a  small  specimen  of 
Lafayette's  important  work  I  submit  the  following  ex- 

45 


tract  from  a  letter  which  he  wrote  Vergennes  May  20, 
1780:  "Without  being  prejudiced,  sir,  by  the  affec- 
tionate friendship  which  attaches  me  to  General  Wash- 
ington, I  can  answer  for  it  that  the  French  generals 
and  troops  will  have  nothing  but  praise  for  his  upright- 
ness, for  his  delicacy,  for  that  frank  and  noble  polite- 
ness which  characterizes  him ;  whilst  at  the  same  time 
they  will  admire  his  great  qualities."  Such  was  the 
impression  which  Lafayette  had  made  in  France  that 
La  Touche-Treville,  commander  of  the  Hermione,  on 
which  his  government  sent  the  marquis  back  to  Amer- 
ica, who  is  described  by  Rochambeau  as  a  man  dis- 
tinguished by  his  zeal,  valor,  talents  and  nobility  of 
character,  when  he  received  his  instructions  replied: 
"I  shall  show  to  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  all  the 
respect  and  consideration  which  are  prescribed  not 
only  by  your  orders  to  me,  but  by  the  dictates  of  my 
own  heart  toward  a  man  whose  acts  have  inspired  me 
with  the  greatest  desire  to  know  him.  I  consider  it  a~ 
favor  that  an  opportunity  has  been  given  me  to  prove 
the  high  esteem  in  which  I  hold  him." 

On  his  arrival  in  Boston  April  28,  1780,  Lafayette 
had  a  triumphant  reception.  Washington  wrote  to 
Luzerne,  the  minister  of  France  to  the  United  States: 
"You  will  participate  in  the  joy  I  feel  at  the  arrival  of 
the  Marquis  de  Lafayette.  No  event  could  have  given 
me  greater  pleasure  on  a  personal  account,  and  motives 
of  public  utility  conspire  to  make  it  agreeable.  He 
announces  a  fresh  and  striking  instance  of  the  friend- 
ship of  your  court,  which  cannot  fail  to  contribute 
greatly  to  perpetuate  the  gratitude  of  this  country." 
Washington  wrote  Congress :  "During  the  time  he  has 
been  in  France  he  has  uniformly  manifested  the  same  • 
zeal  in  our  affairs  which  animated  his  conduct  while 
he  was  among  us ;  and  he  has  been  on  all  occasions  an 
essential  friend  to  America."  Lafayette  wrote  the  . 
president  of  Congress:  "If  from  an  early  epoch  in 
our  noble  contest  I  gloried  in  the  name  of  an  American 
soldier  and  heartily  enjoyed  the  honors  I  have  of  serv- 

46 


ing  the  United  States,  my  satisfaction  is  at  this  long- 
wished  for  moment  entirely  complete — when  putting 
an  end  to  my  furlough,  I  have  been  able  again  to  join 
my  colors,  under  which  I  may  hope  for  opportunities 
of  indulging  the  ardent  zeal,  the  unbounded  gratitude, 
the  warm,  and,  I  might  say,  the  patriotic  love  by  which 
I  am  forever  bound  to  America."  Lafayette  had  pur- 
chased in  France  with  his  own  money  a  large  quantity 
of  clothing  and  arms,  which  he  distributed  to  his 
men,  so  that  his  command  was  the  best  dressed  in  the 
American  army.  When  the  allied  generals  met  at 
Hartford,  as  Washington  could  not  speak  French  and 
Rochambeau  knew  no  English,  Lafayette  acted  as 
interpreter.  When  Lafayette  borrowed  2000  guineas 
from  the  merchants  of  Baltimore  to  clothe  his  men  in 
1781,  Washington  wrote  him:  "The  measures  you 
had  taken  to  obtain,  on  your  own  credit,  a  supply  of 
clothing  and  necessaries  for  the  detachment  must 
entitle  you  to  all  their  gratitude  and  affection,  and  will, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  endears  your  name,  if  pos- 
sible, still  more  to  this  country,  be  an  everlasting  monu- 
r«ient  of  your  ardent  zeal  and  attachment  to  its  cause 
and  the  establishment  of  its  independence.  For  my 
own  part,  my  dear  marquis,  although  I  stood  in  need 
of  no  new  proofs  of  your  exertions  and  your  sacrifices 
in  the  cause  of  America,  I  will  confess  to  you  that  I 
bhall  not  be  able  to  express  the  pleasing  sensations  I 
have  experienced  at  your  unparalleled  and  repeated 
instances  of  generosity  and  zeal  for  the  service  on 
every  occasion." 

Lafayette's  brilliant  campaign  in  Virginia  in  1781 
resulted  in  the  penning  up  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown. 
Of  the  battle  of  Green  Spring,  during  these  operations, 
Anthony  Wayne,  writing  from  near  Jamestown,  July 
8,  1781,  says:  "Our  field  officers  were  generally  dis- 
,  mounted  by  having  their  horses  either  killed  or 
wounded  under  them.  I  will  not  condole  with  the 
marquis  for  the  loss  of  two  of  his,  as  he  was  fre- 
quently requested  to  keep  at  a  greater  distance.  His 

47 


•• 


native  bravery  rendered  him  deaf  to  the  admonition." 
No  man  who  served  under  Washington  was  braver 
than  Anthony  Wayne,  and  his  opinion  with  regard  to 
the  courage  of  Lafayette  must  be  considered  that  of 
an  expert. 

Let  us  see  now  what  the  historians  think  of  the 
importance  of  this  campaign  and  of  the  military  skill 
with  which  Lafayette  carried  it  on:  Fiske  remarks 
that  throughout  the  game  of  strategy  in  Virginia 
Lafayette  proved  himself  a  worthy  antagonist  for  the 
ablest  of  the  British  generals.  Charlemagne  Tower 
says  that  Lafayette  "manoeuvred  with  such  caution 
and  such  good  judgment  through  Virginia,  back  and 
forth  across  its  innumerable  rivers  and  smaller 
streams,  annoying  the  enemy,  keeping  out  of  their 
way,  harassing  their  rear  and  yet  preventing  them 
from  establishing  themselves  that  Lord  Cornwallis  was 
forced  to  retire  toward  the  coast  in  order  to  strengthen 
his  army  before  undertaking  what  he  called  'solid 
operations.'  During  a  difficult  campaign  Lafayette  had 
made  no  serious  mistakes.  By  his  untiring  energy  and 
courage  he  had  animated  the  Virginians  to  renewed 
efforts;  he  had  protected  their  property,  and,  hav- 
ing kept  his  army  intact,  he  barred  the  way  by  land 
by  which  Cornwallis  might  escape  from  his  perilous 
situation."  Lafayette  had  forced  Cornwallis  into  a 
neck  of  land  surrounded  by  deep  water.  This  afforded 
one  of  the  greatest  opportunities  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  and  it  was  made  possible  by  a  Frenchman  on 
land  and  a  Frenchman  on  water.  That  Lafayette  held 
the  key  to  the  military  situation  in  America  and  the 
great  confidence  which  was  felt  in  him  are  shown  by 
the  instructions  which  Washington  sent  him  on  August 
21st:  "As  it  will  be  of  great  importance  toward  the1 
success  of  our  present  enterprise  that  the  enemy  on 
the  arrival  of  the  fleet  should  not  have  it  in  their 
-power  to  effect  their  retreat,  I  cannot  omit  to  repeal;' 
to  you  my  most  earnest  wish  that  the  land  and  naval 
forces  which  you  have  with  you  may  so  combine  theirl 

48 


operations  that  the  British  army  may  not  be  able 
to  escape.  The  particular  mode  of  doing  this  I  shall 
not  at  this  distance  attempt  to  dictate.  Your  own 
knowledge  of  the  country,  from  your  long  continuance 
in  it  and  the  various  and  extended  movements  which 
you  have  made,  have  given  you  great  opportunities 
for  observation,  of  which  I  am  persuaded  your  mili- 
tary genius  and  judgment  will  lead  you  to  make  the 
best  improvement."  How  efficiently  Lafayette  did  this 
work  is  clear  from  the  following  extract  from  a  letter 
which  he  wrote  Washington  September  1st:  "I  hope 
you  will  find  that  we  have  taken  the  best  precautions 
to  lessen  his  lordship's  chances  to  escape.  He  has  a 
few  left,  but  so  very  precarious  that  I  hardly  believe 
he  will  make  the  attempt.  If  he  does,  he  must  give 
up  ships,  artillery,  baggage,  part  of  the  horses,  all  the 
negroes;  he  must  be  certain  to  lose  the  third  of  his 
army  and  run  the  greatest  risk  to  lose  )the  whole  with- 
put  gaining  that  glory  which  he  may  derive  from  a 
brilliant  siege."  The  fleet  of  De  Grasse  brought  more 
than  3000  regulars  with  formidable  artillery  under  the 
Marquis  de  Saint  Simon,  who,  although  a  field  marshal, 
was  willing  to  serve  under  Lafayette,  and  that  Lafay- 
ette was  equally  regardless  of  his  own  rank  is  shown 
by  the  following:  From  near  Williamsburg,  Septem- 
ber 8th,  Lafayette  wrote  Washington:  "The  French 
troops,  my  dear  general,  have  landed  with  amazing^ 
celerity;  they  have  already  been  wanting  flour,  meat 
and  salt,  not  so  much,  however,  as  to  be  one  day  with- 
out. I  have  been  night  and  day  with  the  quarter- 
master collector,  and  have  drawn  myself  into  a  violent 
headache  and  fever,  which  will  go  off  with  three  hours' 
sleep,  the  want  of  which  has  occasioned  it." 

De  Grasse  and  Saint  Simon  were  anxious  to 
return  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  West  Indies  and 
demanded  that  Lafayette  should  attack  Cornwallis 
at  once,  the  admiral  offering  to  send  in  addition  to  all 
his  marines  as  many  sailors  as  Lafayette  might  wish. 
This  would  have  given  a  sufficient  force  to  capture 

49 


Cornwallis  before  the  arrival  of  Washington.  Mr. 
Tower  says:  "There  is  no  doubt  that  the  attachment 
of  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  to  General  Washington 
and  his  tenacity  at  this  juncture  preserved  for  the 
great  American  commander  the  glory  of  laying  out 
and  executing  the  plans  of  the  Yorktown  campaign: 
It  is  one  of  the  finest  examples  of  Lafayette's  per- 
sonal loyalty  and  unselfishness,  of  which  he  gave  so 
many  during  his  service  in  the  revolutionary  war. 
In  the  absence  of  instructions,  and  believing  that  the 
combined  forces  in  Virginia  were  fully  equal  to  the 
reduction  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  they  wished  to  proceed. 
/4$ut  Lafayette  was  the  major  general  commanding, 
and  he  stood  firm  in  his  decision  to  await  the  arrival 
of  his  chief,  his  patron  and  his  steadfast  friend."  On 
the  arrival  of  Washington,  September  14th,  Lafayette's 
independent  command  terminated,  and  he  resumed  his 
position  as  major  general  commanding  a  division  of 
continental  light  infantry,  and,  as  he  had  uniformly, 
done,  he  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  maintaining 
the  harmonious  co-operation  of  the  allied  forces.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  Lafayette's  personal  efforts  with 
De  Grasse  at  this  time  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
French  admiral  would  have  put  to  sea  with  his  fleet 
and  our  independence  might  never  have  been  estab- 
lished. Lafayette  spent  his  twenty-fourth  birthday 
at  the  siege  of  Yorktown.  October  14th  Washington 
ordered  the  works  of  Cornwallis  to  be  assaulted  by 
two  detachments  of  picked  men,  one  of  French  under 
Viomenil  and  the  other  of  Americans  under  Lafayette. 
Viomenil  expressed  doubts  as  to  whether  the  Amer- 
icans would  be  equal  to  the  work,  but  they  charged 
with  the  bayonet  and  without  firing  a  shot  captured 
their  redoubt  with  many  prisoners,  including  Major 
Campbell,  while  the  forces  of  Viomenil  were  still  strug- 
gling with  the  redoubt  assigned  to  them.  Lafayette 
had  the  satisfaction  of  sending  a  message  to  Viomenil 
asking  if  he  required  the  assistance  of  his  Americans. 
At  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  Lafayette  was  at  the 

50 


side  of  Washington  among  his  beloved  Americans  and 
not  with  his  own  illustrious  fellow-countrymen.    The 

'first  news  of  the  signing  of  a  general  treaty  of  peace 
at  Paris  on  January  20,  1783,  was  brought  to  America 
by  a  French  man-of-war,  the  Triumph,  sent  by 
'Lafayette  from  D'Estaing's  fleet  at  Cadiz.  She 
reached  Philadelphia  March  23d,  and  brought  the 
President  of  Congress  the  following  letter  from 
Lafayette : 

"Having  been  at  some  pains  to  engage  a  vessel 
to  go  to  Philadelphia,  I  now  find  myself  happily  relieved 
by  the  kindness  of  Count  D'Estaing.  He  is  just  now 
pleased  to  tell  me  that  he  will  dispatch  a  French  ship, 
and,  by  way  of  compliment  on  the  occasion,  he  has 
made  choice  of  the  Triumph,  so  that  I  am  not  with- 
out hopes  of  giving  Congress  the  first  tidings  of  a  gen- 
eral peace,  and  I  am  happy  in  the  smallest  opportunity 
of  doing  anything  that  may  prove  agreeable  to 

i  America." 

Washington  wrote  Lafayette  April  5,  1783,  that 
his  letter  of  February  5th,  from  Cadiz,  was  the  only 

»news  of  peace  yet  received:  "My  mind  upon  the  receipt 
of  this  news  was  instantly  assailed  by  a  thousand  ideas, 
all  of  them  contending  for  pre-eminence,  but,  believe 
me,  my  dear  friend,  none  could  supplant  or  ever  will 
eradicate  that  gratitude  which  has  arisen  from  a  lively 
sense  of  the  conduct  of  your  nation  and  from  my  obli- 
gations to  many  of  the  illustrious  characters  of  it, 
among  whom  I  do  not  mean  to  flatter  when  I  place 
you  at  the  head."  In  1783  Lafayette  went  to  Madrid 
and  had  an  important  interview  with  the  King  of 
Spain  and  his  chief  minister,  and  succeeded  in  pro- 
curing the  recognition  of  the  charge  d'affairs  of  the 
United  States.  In  1784  Lafayette  spent  nearly  five 
months  in  America,  and  in  1824  and  1825  toured  the 
United  States  for  more  than  a  year  as  the  nation's 
guest.  He  spent  the  forty-third  anniversary  of  the 
surrender  at  Yorktown ;  he  laid  the  cornerstone  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  monument,  and  our  government  sent  him 

51 


home  in  a  new  frigate,  appropriately  called  the  Brandy- 
wine.  At  a  dinner  on  his  departure  Lafayette  gave 
as  a  toast,  "Enfranchised  Europe."  He  named  his 
only  son  George  Washington  and  one  of  his  daughters 
Virginia.  He  was  the  last  surviving  general  of  our 
Revolution.  When,  in  1834,  President  Andrew  Jack- 
son learned  of  the  death  of  Lafayette  he  ordered  that 
"the  same  honors  be  rendered  upon  this  occasion  at 
the  different  military  and  naval  stations  as  were 
observed  upon  the  decease  of  Washington,  the  father 
of  his  country  and  his  contemporary  in  arms." 

Lafayette  occupies  a  unique  place  in  our  history 
and  in  our  hearts.  No  foreigner  and  but  few  of  our 
own  nation  have  been  so  dear  to  us.  President  Poincare 
has  written  this  inscription  for  the  statue  of  Lafayette 
in  Baltimore: 

"In  1777  Lafayette,  crossing  the  seas  with  French 
volunteers,  came  to  bring  brotherly  help  to  the  Ameri- 
can people,  who  were  fighting  for  their  national  liberty. , 

"In   1917  France  was  fighting,  in  her  turn,  to 
defend  her  life  and  the  liberty  of  the  world.    America, 
who  had  never  forgotten  Lafayette,  crossed  the  seas, 
to  help  France,  and  the  world  was  saved." 


52 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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•ECTDUMJRD 


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'  n  ' 


MAY  2  9  1981 


PAMPHIET  BINDER 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


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265 

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